Life by the Drop: Down the Colorado River
John Jacobs is the mayor of Robert Lee in West Texas, where the local reservoir has gone dry. Photo by Terrence Henry/StateImpact TexasAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The great Texas drought of 2011 changed everything, from the way we relate to the water we need, to the way communities relate to each other. Over the next three days KUT will take you on a tour of the Colorado River, to hear from the people who depend on the river for their livelihood and learn what’s being done to ensure an adequate water supply in the future.
This coverage is part of a collaboration among KUT News, StateImpact Texas and Texas Monthly. 
We begin at the town of Robert Lee. It sits in the High Plains, and last year the drought dried up its main source of water.
A drought is kind of like a cancer, it just slowly eats and eats and eats. Your water sources dry up. Your businesses start drying up. Without water, people aren’t going to stay there. It’s just a slow, declining death.
You can read the full story at StateImpact Texas.
The report continues tomorrow during Morning Edition; in a special report in Texas Monthly on newsstands tomorrow; and on KUT on Friday at 3pm with a special report, Life by the Drop: Drought, Water and the Future of Texas.
Podcast: Download (8.5MB)
