Rivers are traditionally defined as large streams of water that empty into an ocean or other large body of water. Due to human influence, however, that is no longer always the case.

For thousands of years the Colorado River flowed for 1,500 miles from the Rocky Mountains, winding its way down to empty into the Gulf of California. So much water is now being diverted from the river to irrigate crops and supply public water systems in the arid Southwestern states that the Colorado River dries up long before it reaches the gulf. The Colorado River Delta was once a rich and bio-diverse system of wetlands, but now the wealth of animal and plant life that once thrived there are all but gone.

A new book called Running Dry: A Journey from Source to Sea Down the Colorado River by explorer and photographer Jonathan Waterman documents the current state of the Colorado River and also looks at the river's history from its pristine beginnings to the dams and diversions that changed its course so drastically. Click here to view a brief video about Waterman's project. To read more about the book or to order a copy, click here.

Thanks to our friend Matt Grocoff of Greenovation TV for posting a link to this video.