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'Colorado River: Lifeline of the West' takes viewers on a 1,450 mile journey through the southwest

Posted at 12:28 PM, Aug 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-03 15:48:40-04

DENVER7 -- The Colorado River is so much more than something we raft and fish in. Millions of people in the western U.S. drink water that comes from the river. Millions more use electricity generated by hydroelectric power plants along the river’s 1,450-mile course. Most of the produce on our table is grown using water from the river and its tributaries.

When you think about it, the Colorado River is so much more than just a river, it’s a lifeline for the southwestern U.S.

Colorado River: Lifeline of the West airs Saturday, August 5 at 6:30pm with an encore presentation Sunday, August 6 at 2pm. 

In the Denver7 special presentation Colorado River: Lifeline of the West, hosts Lisa Hidalgo and Eric Lupher share the story of a river that has shaped the landscape for millions of years but is now having itself reshaped by people trying to harness its power.

Over 30 minutes, Lisa and Eric take viewers on a journey down the Colorado River from its headwaters in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park to the farm country around Yuma, Ariz., where the remaining water leaves the U.S. for Mexico. Along the way, Lisa and Eric show viewers how the river is not just used for recreation, but how it is controlled and contained at places like Glen Canyon and the Hoover Dam to provide water, electricity and irrigation to millions of people. They also find out how all this control may be impacting the health of the river itself and share stories of about the river’s name, the location of key dams and how farmers in some of the driest places along the river’s course have found innovative new ways to conserve water while growing produce in the middle of a drought.

Colorado River: Lifeline of the West is a remarkable journey that few people will ever take on their own but will never forget after they see it.