Thirty million people in seven states in the Southwest use the Colorado River’s water for their survival. California—including San Diego—has more people depending upon Colorado River water than any other state.

Competing demands make the Colorado River one of the most contested and controlled rivers on Earth. Over the last decade, humans have drained all of the river’s water – all 5 trillion gallons – before it reaches the Sea of Cortez. The Colorado River is in very bad shape and deeply threatened.

In total, about twenty million Californians rely, at least in part, on the Colorado River for their drinking water, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation’s 2012 Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study. In San Diego, we import 70 percent of our water and about half of that comes from the Colorado River. Does that sound efficient or secure to you?

We say no, and it’s time to change our ways. In 2009, San Diego Coastkeeper and our partners reached a Cooperative Agreement with the City of San Diego to plan how we can reduce our dependence on imported water and secure a local water supply. This year, in 2013, City Council unanimously instructed its staff to move forward with wastewater recycling to bring us about 100 million gallons per day of clean local drinking water. Success!

But guess what? Around 78 percent of the water drained from the Colorado every year goes to agriculture. Colorado River irrigates an amazing 15 percent of our nation’s crops – so we’d better get busy on that front, too.

In California, over a half million acres of agricultural land is irrigated by the Colorado River and most of the vegetables consumed by people in the United States in winter months come from California crops irrigated by the Colorado River. The Department of Interior and the seven Colorado River states are now meeting to figure next steps on agricultural conservation and efficiency and keeping healthy flow in the river.

Thanks to the Colorado River Basin Study, we know that we could save three million acre feet per year, if only we’d take action. That’s enough to cover San Diego in 13 feet of water.

And that’s why we and Councilmember Gloria care about the National Young Farmer’s Coalition.

It’s a truism that how our young generations think and act will define the future of our society—and in this case our river. So the fact that the National Young Farmer’s Coalition supports sustainable farming and is a leader in demanding that agricultural users protect the Colorado River tells us something important. A thriving Colorado River is our future. San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria is joining farmers on July 25, Colorado River Day, in a plea to the Basin Study planning group that the outcome of their meeting is actionable proposals—things we can do NOW–to reduce agricultural pressure on the Colorado River while maintainin its strong industry here in San Diego.

This issue has been studied thoroughly, the time for action is now.