Officials declare the first water shortage for Lake Mead and the Colorado River – NBC Las Vegas

NEVADA – US officials on Monday declared the first water shortage in a river supplying 40 million people in the western United States, causing cuts especially for some Arizona farmers next year amid severe drought.

Water levels in the Colorado River’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, have dropped to historic lows; Along its perimeter, a white “ring” of minerals delineates where the high water line once stood, underscoring the serious water challenges for a region facing a growing population and worsening drought due to a warmer and drier climate caused by climate change.

States, cities, farmers and others have diversified their water sources over the years, helping to soften the blow from the impending cuts. Federal officials said Monday’s statement makes it clear that conditions escalated faster than scientists predicted in 2019, when Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico decided to give up parts of their water to maintain levels in the the needle.

The lake level has dropped a lot over the past 20 years. We explain how it happened.

“Today’s announcement is a recognition that hydrology, which was planned years ago but we hoped we would never see it, is here,” said Camille Touton, commissioner of the Office for Remediation.

Lake Mead was formed by the construction of the Hoover Dam in the 1930s; is one of several reservoirs that store water from the Colorado River, providing domestic water, farm irrigation, and hydroelectric power to Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and parts of Mexico.

But water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the river’s two largest reservoirs, have been declining for years and faster than experts predicted.

Hot temperatures and less snow melt in spring have reduced the amount of water flowing from the Rocky Mountains, where the river originates before winding 1,450 miles southwest and into the Gulf of California.

“We’re at a point where we realize how we continue to thrive on less water, and it’s very painful,” said Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University.

HOW IS THE WATER OF THE RIVER SHARED?

The water stored in Lake Mead and Lake Powell is divided through legal agreements between the seven states of the Colorado River Basin, the federal government, Mexico, and others. The agreements determine how much water each receives, when the cuts go into effect and the order in which the parties must sacrifice part of their supply.

Under a 2019 drought contingency plan, Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico have decided to give up parts of their water to maintain water levels in Lake Mead; the voluntary measures were not sufficient to avoid the declaration of deficiency.

Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday extended a drought emergency declaration to a large swath of the nation’s most populous state amid “a severe water shortage” in northern and central California.

WHO NEEDS LAKE MEAD?

Lake Mead supplies water to millions of people in Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico.

The 2022 cuts come into effect when projected water levels drop below a certain threshold: 1,075 feet above sea level, or 40% of capacity. Hydrologists predict that by January the reservoir will drop to 1,066 feet.

Further mowing cycles are triggered when predicted levels reach 1,050, 1,045, and 1,025 feet. Eventually, some urban and industrial water utilities may be affected.

We explain what the smooth process is like and why global warming has impacted the water level in Lake Mead.

Levels of Lake Powell are also falling, threatening the approximately 5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity generated each year by the Glen Canyon Dam.

Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming get their water from the tributaries and other reservoirs that feed Lake Powell; water from three reservoirs in those states was drained to maintain water levels in Lake Powell and protect the electrical grid fed by the Glen Canyon Dam.

WHICH STATES WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE CUTS?

In the United States, Arizona will be the hardest hit, losing 18% of its river share next year, or 512,000 acres of water; this is about 8% of the state’s total water consumption.

One acre foot is enough water to supply one or two homes a year.

Federal authorities could soon declare the first water shortage in this important water basin in the country, which would affect the supply of vital fluid in states such as Nevada and Arizona.

Nevada will lose about 7% of its allotment, or 21,000 acre feet of water; but you won’t feel the scarcity due to conservation efforts and alternative water sources.

California was spared immediate cuts because it has more water rights than Arizona and Nevada.

Mexico will see a reduction of about 5%, or 80,000 acre feet.

WHO IN THESE STATES WILL SEE THEIR WATER SUPPLY INTERRUPTED?

Farmers in central Arizona, who are among the state’s largest producers of cattle, dairy, alfalfa, wheat and barley, will bear the brunt of the cuts. Their allotment comes from water deemed “extra” by the agency that supplies water to much of the region, making it the first to lose it during a shortage.

As a result, farmers will likely need to cultivate vacant land, as many have done in recent years due to persistent drought, and rely even more on groundwater, switch to water-efficient crops and find other alternatives. .

Water suppliers have planned the declaration of scarcity by diversifying and conserving their water supply, for example by storing water in underground water basins; however, water cuts make it more difficult to plan ahead.

The Central Arizona project, which supplies water to major Arizona cities, will no longer deposit river water or restore some underground water systems due to outages next year.

“This is a historic time when drought and climate change are on our doorstep,” said Chuck Cullom of the Central Arizona Project.

Cities like Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tucson and Native American tribes are protected from the first round of cuts.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO REVERSE THE DECLINE OF LAKE MEAD?

Water levels in the basin have been declining since 1999 due to the drought that has engulfed the West and increased demand for water. With weather patterns expected to get worse, experts say the reservoir may never be refilled.

Although Lake Mead and Lake Powell could theoretically be filled, it would be wiser to plan for a warmer, drier future with less river water, Arizona State University’s Porter said.

The authorities have shown their concern over the drastic decrease in water.