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As a Hotter, Drier Climate Grips the Colorado River, Water Risks Grow Across the Southwest

/in , , /by /The Arizona Republic by Ian James

The water level of Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir, has dropped more than 130 feet since the beginning of 2000, when the lake’s surface lapped at the spillway gates on Hoover Dam.

Twenty-one years later, with the Colorado River consistently yielding less water as the climate has grown warmer and drier, the reservoir near Las Vegas sits at just 39% of capacity. And it’s approaching the threshold of a shortage for the first time since it was filled in the 1930s.

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This Stunning Timelapse Shows the Megadrought’s Toll on the West’s Largest Reservoir

/in , , /by /VoxMedia by Lili Pike

Just how bad is the drought in the Western US? The shrinking of Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir, is a troubling indicator.

The massive man-made lake, which straddles the border of Arizona and Nevada, is now only at 39% of its full capacity, down from 44% in April 2020. That’s equivalent to a 10-foot drop in the water level, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Reclamation. Which means mandatory restrictions on the amount of water surrounding states draw from Lake Mead could be triggered in the next few months.

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Three States, One River and Too Many Straws

/in , , /by /Western FarmPress by Todd Fitchette

As drought deepens across the West, California’s decision to limit State Water Project (SWP) deliveries to 5% forced Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to increase pumping from the Colorado River near Lake Havasu. The good news: there’s water behind Hoover Dam for them to use. The bad news: As MWD draws on what they call “intentionally created surplus” under a previous agreement, Lake Mead will fall below the threshold for Tier 1 restrictions, leading to a curtailment of water deliveries to Arizona farmers.

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US West Prepares For Possible 1st Water Shortage Declaration

/in , , /by /AP News by Sam Metz

The man-made lakes that store water supplying millions of people in the U.S. West and Mexico are projected to shrink to historic lows in the coming months, dropping to levels that could trigger the federal government’s first-ever official shortage declaration and prompt cuts in Arizona and Nevada.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released 24-month projections this week forecasting that less Colorado River water will cascade down from the Rocky Mountains through Lake Powell and Lake Mead and into the arid deserts of the U.S. Southwest and the Gulf of California. Water levels in the two lakes are expected to plummet low enough for the agency to declare an official shortage for the first time, threatening the supply of Colorado River water that growing cities and farms rely on.

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With First-Ever Colorado River Shortage Almost Certain, States Stare Down Mandatory Cutbacks

/in , , /by /KUNC (Colorado Springs)by Luke Runyon

The Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs are likely to drop to historically low levels later this year, prompting mandatory conservation by some of the river’s heaviest users.

The latest Bureau of Reclamation reservoir projections, which take into account river flows in a given year, show a likelihood that Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada stateline will dip below the critical threshold of 1,075 feet in elevation in May and remain below that level for the foreseeable future.

A first-ever official shortage declaration from the Department of the Interior is almost certain later this year. According to the terms of a 2007 agreement, a shortage is declared by the Interior Secretary after consulting with water users in the Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada. An August report is used to forecast when Lake Mead will be below 1,075 feet at the start of a calendar year.

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Opinion: Digging Into the Ditches, and Such, Part Seven

/in , /by /Pagosa Daily Post (Colorado)by Bill Hudson

The BBC posted an article this week, written by reporter Paige Sutherland and entitled, “The water fight over the shrinking Colorado River”. I guess that officially makes us — the folks dependent upon that same Colorado River — famous.

But does this have to be a “fight”? How about, instead, “The earnest conversation over the shrinking Colorado River”?

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The Water Fight Over the Shrinking Colorado River

/in , , /by /BBC Newsby Paige Sutherland

Scientists have been predicting for years that the Colorado River would continue to deplete due to global warming and increased water demands, but according to new studies it’s looking worse than they thought.

That worries rancher Marsha Daughenbaugh, 68, of Steamboat Springs, who relies on the water from the Colorado River to grow feed for her cattle.

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Southwest Braces for Water Cutbacks as Drought Deepens Along the Colorado River

/in , , /by /Arizona Republicby Ian James

Unrelenting drought and years of rising temperatures due to climate change are pushing the long-overallocated Colorado River into new territory, setting the stage for the largest mandatory water cutbacks to date.

Lake Mead, the biggest reservoir on the river, has declined dramatically over the past two decades and now stands at just 40% of its full capacity. This summer, it’s projected to fall to the lowest levels since it was filled in the 1930s following the construction of Hoover Dam.

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Agencies: Arizona Farmers Should Expect Less Water in 2022

/in , , /by /AP News

State officials are putting farmers in south-central Arizona on notice that the continuing drought means a “substantial cut” in deliveries of Colorado River water is expected next year.

A joint statement issued Friday by the state Department of Water Resources and the Central Arizona Project said an expected shortage declaration “will result in a substantial cut to Arizona’s share of the river, with reductions falling largely to central Arizona agricultural users.”

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Imperial Valley Farmer Michael Abatti Hoping to Take IID to the U.S. Supreme Court

/in , /by /Desert Sunby Mark Olalde

The fight between Imperial Valley farmer Michael Abatti and the Imperial Irrigation District over control of the district’s massive allotment of Colorado River water could be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court if Abatti gets his way.

He and his lawyers have announced that they have petitioned the nation’s highest court to take up the litigation that has dragged on since 2013.

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