# The western US is running out of water. What happens next?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/stateside-with-kai-and-carter-7845609/the-western-us-is-running-out-of-water-what-happens-next
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/stateside-with-kai-and-carter-7845609/the-western-us-is-running-out-of-water-what-happens-next.md
Podcast: [Stateside with Kai and Carter](https://stenobird.com/podcast/stateside-with-kai-and-carter-7845609)
Published: 2026-07-13T20:50:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/series/stateside
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/69f1f631d7e73f5a692d1d3c/e/6a5546277f913497ee660efc/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/stateside-with-kai-and-carter-7845609/episodes/the-western-us-is-running-out-of-water-what-happens-next
Duration seconds: 2453

## Resource

Thanks to pollution, overpopulation and the climate crisis, Earth is facing a terrifying new crisis: an irreversible "water bankruptcy". Now, fights over water have ramped up across the world, including in the US west. Host Carter Sherman speaks with Guardian extreme weather correspondent Gabrielle Canon about the battle over the future of the Colorado River Basin, whose water sustains some 40 million people across seven states – but is now drying up. Gabrielle recently rafted down the basin's last "wild" river, the Yampa. Damming or diverting the Yampa could bring the west some much-needed hydration. It may also devastate the vast natural ecosystem that relies on the river's free-flowing waters. Also: Carter and Kai Wright react to the death of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. Gabrielle Canon’s story on the Yampa River Guardian stories on Lindsey Graham: Analysis on Graham as dealmaker The scramble to replace Graham Lindsey Graham in his own words Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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