Water Wars in the West

Right across the planet, good fresh water supplies are under pressure. In America's West and Southwest, the combination of drought and booming population growth have made that pressure intense.

As the Colorado River and its giant reservoirs have shrunk, Arizona's population has grown by 40 percent since 1990, and Las Vegas-area water use has doubled. California's thirst for water is huge.

The trend lines show real trouble for desert cities. Global warming doesn't help. And the West may be a lesson for us all.

This hour On Point: canyons, rivers, big dams, and water wars in the West.

Guests:

Charles Wilkinson, Professor of Law at University of Colorado at Boulder

Dr. Peter H. Gleick, Co-Founder and President of Pacific Institute.