Who's Really Using Up the Water in the American West?
Videos
Grades9, 10, 11, 12Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
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Provided by Vox
What it is
- This video explores water consumption in the Western United States, focusing on the enormous amount of water used for agriculture and the solutions to water scarcity.
- Students will learn about depletion in the Colorado River system, irrigation agreements between LA, San Diego, and the Palo Verde Irrigation District, and the benefits and drawbacks of fallowing.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This video visually compares the water used for irrigated farming, industrial use, and residential use.
- It is easy to understand and provides more than one perspective on the solutions.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should be familiar with the concept of irrigation.
- This video contains ads.
Differentiation
- Connect this video to lessons about the effects of agriculture on the climate.
- Teachers could use this as a hook to evaluate the pros and cons of raising cows as livestock.
- It could lead to a discussion of different alternatives to beef that are more sustainable.
- It could be used in an economics class to evaluate the costs and benefits of rotational fallowing on farmers.
From the scientist review
This interesting video highlights where the Colorado River water is used and what sacrifices need to be made so metropolitan areas in the Western U.S. do not run out of water. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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