“Thirsty Valley”

Imperial Valley farmers rely on the drought-stricken Colorado River for water, as do several Western states and tribal nations. But reporting by ProPublica and The Desert Sun found an elite few are monopolizing usage of the river’s water.

Reporters Nat Lash of ProPublica and Janet Wilson of The Desert Sun, with contributions from Mark Olalde and Ash Ngu, used a groundbreaking approach to determine just who was on the receiving end of this water in Imperial Valley. This is information not publicly shared by the Imperial Irrigation District. To calculate water usage, the journalists utilized complex data produced by OpenET, a company that combines satellite and weather data to gauge the amount of water that evaporates from crops, as well as the district’s estimates of how much water crops needed in past seasons.

The team’s diligent and responsible use of complex data led to the discovery that members of just 20 extended families with farms in the region consumed the majority of Imperial Valley’s water. In one case, the journalists discovered that one extended family receives more water each year than the entire city of Las Vegas. The reporters illustrated how as a result of this preferential usage, residential customers were forced to carry the brunt of water conservation efforts. Separately, ProPublica examined the urban impact of the Colorado River crisis, particularly Las Vegas’ efforts at conservation.

Article by: Leyla Shokoohe