Could the Columbia be the next Colorado?

With drought and growing user demands, water shortages loom in the Columbia River Basin

By: Nick Engelfried

Outlets: Columbia insight

Published: October 22, 2026

Words: 1,503

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 3 days ago

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Gaze at the expanse of water flowing through the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon-Washington border, and you’d be forgiven for thinking it represents an endless resource.

From headwaters in the Canadian Rockies, the Columbia River travels 1,200 miles through forests, deserts and agricultural land, delivering more water to the Pacific Ocean than any other river in the Americas.

The Columbia River Basin covers over a quarter-million square miles, distributed across seven states and British Columbia. For …

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