Chasing Water

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After spending a decade working abroad as a photojournalist, Colorado native Pete McBride, decided to focus on something closer to his home and his heart: the Colorado River which cuts through his backyard. Taking nearly three years, McBride followed the river source to sea on a personal journey to see exactly where the river goes and what becomes of the irrigation water that flows across his family's cattle ranch in central Colorado after it returns to the creek.

Recruiting his father, John, as his personal pilot McBride chose an aerial vantage to capture a unique and fresh view of the Colorado River Basin. He also partnered with Jon Waterman, an author who stayed stream level to paddle the entire length of the river.
This short film takes the viewer on a 1,500 mile adventure downstream, from mountains and cities and through canyons and across shrinking reservoirs. For 6 million years the Colorado River flowed to the sea. Today it runs dry some 90 miles shy of its historic terminus at the Sea of Cortez.

This visual journey is both revealing and alarming as it highlights the state of the river and the Southwest's drying future.

Featuring the photography of Pete McBride and music by Explosions In The Sky, This Will Destroy You, Jesse Cook, and Ludovico Einaudi.

'Offers both a celebration of water and water management as well as a cautionary tale of resource limits and displaced impacts. Chasing Water is a visually stunning, yet ultimately somber snapshot of a river that is literally worked to death, disappearing into the sand long before reaching the ocean. It's an inglorious end for the river dubbed the 'American Nile,' and a troubling metaphor for the trajectory of western water management. Educators will find the film useful as an accurate and compelling introduction to a complex topic, certain to generate discussion and to fuel further inquiry.' Dr. Douglas Kenney, Director, Western Water Policy Program, University of Colorado-Boulder, Editor, In Search of Sustainable Water Management: International Lessons for the American West and Beyond

'We turn on the tap and drink. In images that are both stunningly beautiful and hauntingly disturbing, Chasing Water is a testament to our unquenchable thirst, and a portrayal of the extent to which we have been willing to go in slaking that thirst. Water is increasingly becoming an endangered resource, and taking it for granted will be fatal--to the rivers, the people, and the economies who ignore the consequences and repercussions that Pete McBride so movingly brings to the screen.' Dr. J. Val Klump, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, School of Freshwater Sciences, Great Lakes WATER Institute, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

'Highly Recommended...Ideal for classroom use, this film raises generates questions and curiosity in the viewer which would be a great transition into additional research...Chasing Water is a beautiful looking film which provides a great example of the effects humans have on the environment. Without being overly didactic, it raises awareness of current water issues that will have enormous impact in the near future.' Tom Ipri, Drexel University, Educational Media Reviews Online

'This film is a powerful way to show students how much damage human activity can do to the environment. It is appropriate for middle school, high school, college and adult audiences...Appropriate for biology, Earth science, and environmental science classes.' Richard Lord, NSTA Recommends

'Chasing Water displays McBride's extraordinary aerial photography, splicing together video and stills, as it conveys the majesty of the Colorado River, even as McBride mourns the river's death. The Colorado River dries up before it reaches the ocean. Anyone who loves great photography or the American West will love this documentary.' Robert Glennon, Regents' Professor, University of Arizona Rogers College of Law, Author, Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It

'Visually beautiful and poetic...not many Americans realize that water apocalypse is close by in the West and that in places the water is already totally gone. McBride's film is a beautiful, tragic testimony to humanity's impact on our environment. Suitable for high school and college courses in cultural anthropology, development anthropology, economic anthropology, anthropology of water, and American studies, as well as general audiences.' Jack David Eller, Community College of Denver, Anthropology Reviews Online

'Impressive...Personalizes the sad story of a river that has not reached the sea since 1998. By plane, raft, and foot, McBride explores in sharp photography and colorful narrative the 'straws' the 'bathtub rings' and the 'plumbing' that drain our greatest western river dry.' Tom 'Dr. Colorado' Noel, Professor of History, Director of Public History, Preservation and Colorado Studies, University of Colorado-Denver

'Chasing Water is well-paced and informative introduction to the increasingly stressed Colorado River, America's Nile. The River is over-allocated in terms of existing demands. The stresses will only increase as urban growth in the Basin cities (that depend, in part, on the Colorado) continues and the adverse impacts of climate change kick in. Chasing Water focuses both on the big inter-state conflicts that have long dominated the politics of the River as well as the human faces of River users and those concerned about its future.' Dan Tarlock, Professor of Law, Director of the Program in Environmental and Energy Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, co-author, Water Resource Management

'This is a lovely film with a tragic ending that should be required viewing for the 30 million people whose lives depend upon flow of the Colorado River.' Helen Ingram, Research Fellow at the Southwest Center of the University of Arizona, Professor Emerita of Planning, Policy, and Design and Political Science at the University of California-Irvine, Author, Reflections on Water: New Approaches to Transboundary Conflicts and Cooperation

'A remarkable journey...A sobering vision of the power of humankind to stop the flow a mighty river in order to supply expanding populations and agriculture, to the detriment of the unique natural environments of the Southwest.' Justin Sheffield, Research Scholar, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, co-Author, Drought: Past Problems and Future Scenarios

'The visuals and photography are spectacular. It is a bit scary when you think about how much water we are using without thinking about it and wondering what our children and our grandchildren are going to find as they chase the water in the future.' Dr. Joan Rose, Chair in Water Research, Director of the Center for Water Sciences, Co-Director of the Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment, Michigan State University

'The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the American West, but the surrounding terrain keeps most of the river out of sight and the river's health out of mind. Chasing Water gives us a new perspective on the Colorado River, using stunning aerial photographs to highlight the river's connection to the landscape. I highly recommend this short film to give audiences a unique view of this critical natural resource and the challenges it faces.' Noah Hall, Associate Professor, Wayne State University Law School, Founder, Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, Author, Great Lakes Law blog

'Enlightening...[A] sobering true story of an increasingly endangered watershed, highly recommended for both school and public library collections.' The Midwest Book Review

Citation

Select a citation style:

Main credits

McBride, Peter (film producer)
McBride, Peter (film director)
McBride, Peter (screenwriter)
McBride, Peter (cinematographer)
Waterman, Jonathan (screenwriter)

Other credits

Editor, Anson Fogel; cinematography, Pete McBride, Anson Fogel.

MARC Record See Worldcat record

Keywords

Colorado River,photography, Colorado River dries up, Sea of Cortez, Pete McBride, watershed, irrigation water, family cattle ranch, Colorado River Basin, Grand Canyon, Jon Waterman, canyons, shirinking reservoirs, Southwest's future, Rocky Mountain National Park, Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell, Colorado Plateau, Central Colorado, Green River, Roaring Fork River, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Lake Havasu, Imperial Valley, Colorado River Aqueduct, Central Arizona Project, Mexico, Aldo Leopold, US/Mexican border, American Nile,"Chasing Water",Bullfrog Films,doc,env; history; science; shod

WEBVTT

00:00:03.333 --> 00:00:09.666
[gentle electric guitar music]

00:00:09.667 --> 00:00:12.667
[wind blowing softly]

00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:31.232
- Hey, what are we doing
to ourselves, Pete?

00:00:31.233 --> 00:00:32.666
- [chuckles]

00:00:32.667 --> 00:00:35.732
We are beating ourselves up.

00:00:35.733 --> 00:00:40.066
We\'ve run out of water
after about 2 miles,

00:00:40.067 --> 00:00:42.266
and we\'re trying
to navigate our way down

00:00:42.267 --> 00:00:45.299
what was once
the Colorado River,

00:00:45.300 --> 00:00:49.866
which looks far from a river
and more like a desert.

00:00:49.867 --> 00:00:52.400
And I have way too much stuff
in my pack.

00:01:07.267 --> 00:01:09.199
A friend once told me
that this river

00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:11.366
is a western plumbing system,

00:01:11.367 --> 00:01:13.366
nothing more.

00:01:13.367 --> 00:01:16.499
I nodded as if I understood.

00:01:16.500 --> 00:01:19.166
I didn\'t really understand
what he meant at all,

00:01:19.167 --> 00:01:20.732
until I marched 90 miles

00:01:20.733 --> 00:01:24.399
across this forgotten,
ancient landscape,

00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:27.200
this dry river cemetery.

00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:36.766
[mellow instrumental music]

00:01:36.767 --> 00:01:39.099
My name is Pete McBride.

00:01:39.100 --> 00:01:42.132
I\'ve worked as a photojournalist
in over 60 countries,

00:01:42.133 --> 00:01:44.666
documenting
other people\'s stories.

00:01:44.667 --> 00:01:47.800
This is my own backyard story.

00:02:25.233 --> 00:02:27.732
As a kid,
I grew up chasing water

00:02:27.733 --> 00:02:31.766
around our family cattle ranch
in central Colorado.

00:02:31.767 --> 00:02:35.099
I spent my summer mornings
moving portable dams

00:02:35.100 --> 00:02:40.099
and linking pipes
to gravity-fed sprinklers.

00:02:40.100 --> 00:02:41.366
Our irrigation water

00:02:41.367 --> 00:02:44.500
comes from 14,000-foot peaks
above our valley.

00:02:47.567 --> 00:02:49.332
Snowmelt supplies
mountain creeks,

00:02:49.333 --> 00:02:51.866
and we divert a portion
into old ditches,

00:02:51.867 --> 00:02:54.099
spread it across our fields,

00:02:54.100 --> 00:02:57.199
and grow hay to feed
a small herd of cattle.

00:02:57.200 --> 00:03:00.200
[man speaking indistinctly]

00:03:02.467 --> 00:03:07.232
Each August,
I spent long hours cutting hay.

00:03:07.233 --> 00:03:10.866
When you\'re driving a haybine,
you sit high above the field

00:03:10.867 --> 00:03:13.466
staring at the results
of your summer\'s work,

00:03:13.467 --> 00:03:17.032
and I often used to think
about water.

00:03:17.033 --> 00:03:19.499
I wondered how much
went into our field

00:03:19.500 --> 00:03:23.766
and how much returned
to the creek.

00:03:23.767 --> 00:03:25.966
From the creek,
that water flows north

00:03:25.967 --> 00:03:29.032
into the Roaring Fork River,
turns west,

00:03:29.033 --> 00:03:31.666
and 30 miles later,
joins the Colorado,

00:03:31.667 --> 00:03:34.899
that mighty western river
known as the American Nile,

00:03:34.900 --> 00:03:39.966
a lifeline for an arid West.

00:03:39.967 --> 00:03:41.766
Starting high in the Rockies,

00:03:41.767 --> 00:03:46.166
the Colorado winds 1,500 miles
to the Sea of Cortez.

00:03:46.167 --> 00:03:50.566
It drains 7 states
and supports 30 million people.

00:03:50.567 --> 00:03:53.566
At least, that\'s what I\'d read.

00:03:53.567 --> 00:03:55.566
Beyond my backyard, I never knew

00:03:55.567 --> 00:03:57.099
where the river really went

00:03:57.100 --> 00:04:01.232
other than a few landmarks
like the Grand Canyon.

00:04:01.233 --> 00:04:02.899
I wondered how long
it would take

00:04:02.900 --> 00:04:06.166
our irrigation water
to reach the sea.

00:04:06.167 --> 00:04:08.366
So I decided to follow the river

00:04:08.367 --> 00:04:11.733
source to sea and find out.

00:04:19.200 --> 00:04:22.266
I started my journey
in Rocky Mountain National Park

00:04:22.267 --> 00:04:24.766
at the river\'s headwaters.

00:04:24.767 --> 00:04:27.866
There, I joined a friend.

00:04:27.867 --> 00:04:29.199
Jon Waterman is a writer

00:04:29.200 --> 00:04:32.566
who is also curious
about the river.

00:04:32.567 --> 00:04:33.632
He decided to paddle

00:04:33.633 --> 00:04:38.066
the entire length
of the Colorado.

00:04:38.067 --> 00:04:41.799
- Well, are we ready to swim?

00:04:41.800 --> 00:04:43.299
- I\'m scared.

00:04:43.300 --> 00:04:44.800
[both laugh]

00:04:46.867 --> 00:04:49.900
Now, can you help me
put my life jacket together?

00:04:52.667 --> 00:04:55.266
I paddled with Jon
for a couple days,

00:04:55.267 --> 00:04:57.232
where the river
is not much larger

00:04:57.233 --> 00:05:02.266
than one of our
irrigation ditches.

00:05:02.267 --> 00:05:04.199
- What were you thinking
with that log?

00:05:04.200 --> 00:05:05.399
- I don\'t know.

00:05:05.400 --> 00:05:07.600
I\'m tired of getting out
of the boat.

00:05:15.833 --> 00:05:18.032
As the river moves out
of the high country,

00:05:18.033 --> 00:05:20.499
I left Jon
to get a different view.

00:05:20.500 --> 00:05:24.267
I realized I couldn\'t see
the whole river from a boat.

00:05:27.733 --> 00:05:31.567
My father also happens
to be a great bush pilot.

00:05:33.133 --> 00:05:34.566
- Shape up.
Hurry up.

00:05:34.567 --> 00:05:36.532
- [laughs]

00:05:36.533 --> 00:05:37.899
You ready yet?

00:05:37.900 --> 00:05:41.232
- You know, this plane costs
about $300 an hour to fly,

00:05:41.233 --> 00:05:44.099
and you\'re dinking around.

00:05:44.100 --> 00:05:46.133
Gosh.

00:05:48.433 --> 00:05:51.932
- We started flying sections
of the Colorado near home,

00:05:51.933 --> 00:05:53.932
and immediately,
I started seeing

00:05:53.933 --> 00:05:57.267
how many straws are drinking
from the river.

00:06:01.500 --> 00:06:03.766
The state of Colorado
has a dilemma.

00:06:03.767 --> 00:06:07.532
80% of the water
lands on the western mountains,

00:06:07.533 --> 00:06:11.332
but 80% of the people
live on the eastern plains.

00:06:11.333 --> 00:06:12.666
From the air,

00:06:12.667 --> 00:06:15.832
I could see water on the west
diverted to growth

00:06:15.833 --> 00:06:18.833
and its thirst for water
on the east.

00:06:28.033 --> 00:06:31.033
[engine whirring]

00:06:32.867 --> 00:06:35.066
My father and I flew west

00:06:35.067 --> 00:06:38.566
shadowing the river
across western Colorado

00:06:38.567 --> 00:06:41.067
and into the Utah desert.

00:06:51.167 --> 00:06:53.099
It was fun for a change

00:06:53.100 --> 00:06:56.866
to pretend
I was my father\'s boss.

00:06:56.867 --> 00:06:59.032
You see those horses
back there on the right?

00:06:59.033 --> 00:07:01.099
Can we turn...
Can you do a quick 180?

00:07:01.100 --> 00:07:02.966
- Got it.
Got it.

00:07:02.967 --> 00:07:07.366
- Bring your wing up.

00:07:07.367 --> 00:07:10.199
But really,
we were just father and son,

00:07:10.200 --> 00:07:12.333
two buddies flying the river.

00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:27.466
As the river cuts through
the Colorado Plateau,

00:07:27.467 --> 00:07:29.632
its flow is doubled
by the Green River,

00:07:29.633 --> 00:07:31.667
the largest tributary.

00:07:38.600 --> 00:07:41.166
Below the confluence,
I watched the river

00:07:41.167 --> 00:07:45.167
enter the first
of its desert seas, Lake Powell.

00:07:50.633 --> 00:07:54.332
Glen Canyon Dam
was finished in 1966,

00:07:54.333 --> 00:07:57.966
and the canyons were flooded
before I was born.

00:07:57.967 --> 00:08:00.666
I visited Lake Powell
many times as a kid,

00:08:00.667 --> 00:08:02.832
but until I saw it from the air,

00:08:02.833 --> 00:08:05.867
I really had no idea
how big it was.

00:08:10.067 --> 00:08:12.499
Today, the lake is shrinking.

00:08:12.500 --> 00:08:15.232
The West is in
its second decade of drought,

00:08:15.233 --> 00:08:16.699
and everywhere I look,

00:08:16.700 --> 00:08:19.132
those 100-foot bathtub rings
reminded me

00:08:19.133 --> 00:08:22.633
of how much water we once had.

00:08:31.533 --> 00:08:35.099
Below Lake Powell
starts the Grand Canyon.

00:08:35.100 --> 00:08:37.599
To continue my aerial vantage,

00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:39.932
I left my father
to fly with local pilots

00:08:39.933 --> 00:08:42.033
who knew the routes
above the Grand.

00:08:54.467 --> 00:08:56.666
I also spent two weeks
inside the canyon

00:08:56.667 --> 00:08:58.166
on a raft trip,

00:08:58.167 --> 00:08:59.966
and I thought about
my friend\'s comment,

00:08:59.967 --> 00:09:03.766
that the river is just plumbing.

00:09:03.767 --> 00:09:05.832
When you\'re in this wild place,

00:09:05.833 --> 00:09:08.766
it\'s hard to imagine the river
as an aqueduct,

00:09:08.767 --> 00:09:11.532
but it starts to become obvious.

00:09:11.533 --> 00:09:12.566
When people turn on

00:09:12.567 --> 00:09:14.566
their air conditioners
in Phoenix,

00:09:14.567 --> 00:09:16.932
the river in the canyon
rises daily

00:09:16.933 --> 00:09:21.432
as the dam operators
crank up the flow.

00:09:21.433 --> 00:09:23.099
For the first time,

00:09:23.100 --> 00:09:27.066
I started to see the river
as less of a river

00:09:27.067 --> 00:09:29.067
and perhaps something else.

00:09:46.033 --> 00:09:47.466
Below the Grand Canyon,

00:09:47.467 --> 00:09:51.499
you reach a dwindling Lake Mead
and Hoover Dam.

00:09:51.500 --> 00:09:53.799
Built in 1935,

00:09:53.800 --> 00:09:57.766
Hoover was once
the largest dam in the world.

00:09:57.767 --> 00:10:01.866
Next to Hoover dam is Las Vegas.

00:10:01.867 --> 00:10:03.566
When I was young,

00:10:03.567 --> 00:10:05.899
I pointed to Vegas, like many,

00:10:05.900 --> 00:10:08.832
as the bad boy of the river,

00:10:08.833 --> 00:10:11.466
that oasis dream
in the middle of the desert,

00:10:11.467 --> 00:10:15.966
sucking down
our national treasure.

00:10:15.967 --> 00:10:19.999
When I visited,
I found a more complex truth.

00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:23.832
Las Vegas gets very little water
from the Colorado River,

00:10:23.833 --> 00:10:27.999
so they are forced
to use it wisely.

00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:32.066
The city actually pays people
to tear out their front lawns.

00:10:32.067 --> 00:10:35.532
I saw a house with water-thirsty
green grass in the morning

00:10:35.533 --> 00:10:39.666
turn to desert-friendly shrubs
by noon.

00:10:39.667 --> 00:10:41.832
And how much square footage
have you done

00:10:41.833 --> 00:10:43.099
in the last few years?

00:10:43.100 --> 00:10:45.599
- So since 1999,
when the program began,

00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:49.132
we have upgraded over
100 million square feet of turf.

00:10:49.133 --> 00:10:50.332
- Wow.

00:10:50.333 --> 00:10:51.866
- So, yeah,
we\'re really proud of that,

00:10:51.867 --> 00:10:54.800
and that\'s helped us to save
15 billion gallons of water.

00:10:59.567 --> 00:11:02.666
- But not everyone
wants to be Vegas.

00:11:02.667 --> 00:11:05.599
Downstream, the river
becomes the border

00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:08.766
between Arizona and California,

00:11:08.767 --> 00:11:10.933
and the straws are abundant.

00:11:15.167 --> 00:11:18.499
At Lake Havasu,
the Colorado River Aqueduct

00:11:18.500 --> 00:11:24.299
pulls water 242 miles west
to Los Angeles.

00:11:24.300 --> 00:11:28.999
And on the eastern side:
the Central Arizona Project.

00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:31.432
This remarkable piece
of engineering

00:11:31.433 --> 00:11:37.600
pumps water 336 miles uphill
to Phoenix and Tucson.

00:11:46.233 --> 00:11:49.566
Below Lake Havasu,
I followed the river south

00:11:49.567 --> 00:11:51.232
to the Imperial Valley,

00:11:51.233 --> 00:11:53.399
one of the richest areas
of farmland

00:11:53.400 --> 00:11:56.632
in the United States.

00:11:56.633 --> 00:12:01.766
Crops here are entirely fed
by Colorado River water.

00:12:01.767 --> 00:12:03.966
During the winter,
every piece of lettuce

00:12:03.967 --> 00:12:06.999
in our salads
comes from this area.

00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:09.166
No matter where you live
in America,

00:12:09.167 --> 00:12:11.867
we all eat the Colorado River.

00:12:16.533 --> 00:12:19.599
I never really knew
this part of the river.

00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:23.466
It is much different
than the river I grew up on.

00:12:23.467 --> 00:12:27.799
It is confined, fractured,
and fading.

00:12:27.800 --> 00:12:31.199
I started seeing the river
as an orphan,

00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:33.766
stretched into
a blooming desert,

00:12:33.767 --> 00:12:36.099
a maze of concrete canals

00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:38.832
and a symphony of human thirst.

00:12:38.833 --> 00:12:44.833
[dramatic violin music]

00:12:54.933 --> 00:12:57.933
[water splashing]

00:12:59.400 --> 00:13:04.232
As the river approaches Mexico,
I join my friend Jon again.

00:13:04.233 --> 00:13:07.432
He had a full beard
and looked 20 pounds lighter.

00:13:07.433 --> 00:13:11.366
He\'d been paddling the river
for five months.

00:13:11.367 --> 00:13:13.699
We hoped to finish
our journeys together

00:13:13.700 --> 00:13:16.367
and paddle to the Sea of Cortez.

00:13:21.267 --> 00:13:23.032
- My feet are
so badly blistered,

00:13:23.033 --> 00:13:25.933
I can barely walk.

00:13:32.033 --> 00:13:35.933
Trying to find a way
to the coast.

00:13:41.367 --> 00:13:42.866
- For several miles,

00:13:42.867 --> 00:13:46.132
the Colorado becomes
the U.S./Mexican border.

00:13:46.133 --> 00:13:48.732
Here, Jon and I
found a small flow

00:13:48.733 --> 00:13:51.399
due to a recent storm.

00:13:51.400 --> 00:13:55.132
We thought we might
actually paddle across the delta

00:13:55.133 --> 00:13:57.133
to the sea.

00:13:59.333 --> 00:14:01.333
We were wrong.

00:14:05.067 --> 00:14:07.433
- What is this stuff?

00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:12.599
- All I know is,
I\'m not that excited

00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:15.267
to get into this water.

00:14:20.567 --> 00:14:22.633
Yeah.

00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:30.032
The Colorado is now
a recycling center

00:14:30.033 --> 00:14:33.733
and tamarisk collection zone.

00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:42.599
Is that... looks like
the end of the line.

00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:44.632
You end up
at the garbage disposal

00:14:44.633 --> 00:14:47.132
at the end of the river.

00:14:47.133 --> 00:14:48.800
Great.

00:14:51.467 --> 00:14:54.199
From here, we packed our rafts,

00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:56.666
shouldered as much water
as we could carry,

00:14:56.667 --> 00:14:58.967
and we walked.

00:15:08.300 --> 00:15:12.299
We have about, what...

00:15:12.300 --> 00:15:14.299
29 miles to go

00:15:14.300 --> 00:15:18.499
to meet our next water drop,
which is at a bridge,

00:15:18.500 --> 00:15:23.399
and, what, it\'s 16 miles
from there?

00:15:23.400 --> 00:15:26.067
So we got a ways to go, walking.

00:15:49.767 --> 00:15:51.432
As I walked, I thought about

00:15:51.433 --> 00:15:53.632
the historic delta
I\'d heard of...

00:15:53.633 --> 00:15:57.132
3,000 square miles,
abundant wildlife,

00:15:57.133 --> 00:16:00.199
a lush estuary.

00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:05.132
Aldo Leopold paddled a canoe
across the delta in 1922.

00:16:05.133 --> 00:16:08.232
He wrote, \"The river
was nowhere and everywhere,

00:16:08.233 --> 00:16:11.999
\"for he could not decide
which of 100 green lagoons

00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:13.632
\"offered the most pleasant

00:16:13.633 --> 00:16:18.166
and least speedy path
to the gulf.\"

00:16:18.167 --> 00:16:21.933
Jon and I found
a different delta.

00:16:28.667 --> 00:16:30.332
When I started this journey,

00:16:30.333 --> 00:16:33.066
I didn\'t know what I\'d find.

00:16:33.067 --> 00:16:37.199
I was curious about a river
that ran through my backyard.

00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:40.899
I just wanted to know
where our irrigation water went

00:16:40.900 --> 00:16:43.166
and how long
it would take that water

00:16:43.167 --> 00:16:45.700
to reach the sea.

00:16:49.667 --> 00:16:53.099
I found my answer.

00:16:53.100 --> 00:16:56.433
Today, it\'s never.

00:16:57.433 --> 00:17:03.433
[mellow percussive music]