The hundreds of farms throughout Yuma County
The same can be said of California's Imperial Valley, across the river and about 60 miles (97 kilometers) to the west, which was essentially uninhabitable before the Imperial Canal first drew Colorado River water there in 1901, and then the All-American Canal brought more in 1940.
These complex irrigation systems, through an even more complex system of laws, treaties, compacts, court orders, and agreements drawn up over the past century, deliver a very specific volume of water to the hundreds of farms throughout Yuma County and the Imperial Valley.
Sharp and his brother, third-generation Arizona farmers, count themselves among the lucky rights holders of some Colorado River water, which they use to irrigate their Lyreedale Farm. Every few weeks, they release a carefully calculated bit of their allotment of the Colorado over their 2,400 acres.
Half of Lyreedale's fields are planted with alfalfa, a legume that most people recognize as a type of hay. There are actually dozens of varieties of hay, including grasses, but alfalfa is one of the most popular. Alfalfa is a livestock forage crop that is most often fed to dairy cows. It has deep taproots that suck up water, although scorching summer heat kicks transpiration into overdrive.