Nestled along the Central Coast, Cambria is a picturesque town famous for its vintage clothing and antique shops, its one-of-a-kind olallieberry pies, its scarecrow festival in the fall and its Disneyesque Christmas market and light display in December. Located right off of Highway 1 and 73 miles south of Big Sur, it’s a popular stop for those driving on the Pacific Coast Highway.
As the Colorado River shrinks at the hands of a two-decades-long drought, there’s a lot on the line. The water supply for 40 million people, agriculture, wildlife and hydropower generation are all hanging in the balance as the region grapples with a dwindling river.
The federal agency most involved with the Colorado River and water in the West is the Bureau of Reclamation. The agency’s measurements and actions can lead headlines throughout the region — including the shortage declaration that raised national alarm last August.
Climate change is poised to result in a worldwide water crisis, and international institutions and governments have not done enough to prepare, according to a report released Tuesday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials declared the first-ever water shortage on the Colorado River on Monday, Aug. 16, and the Imperial Irrigation District weighed in on Tuesday, Aug. 17.
That declaration has triggered cuts in water supplies to some Arizona farmers and areas of Nevada for 2022.
In the U.S., Arizona will be hit the hardest and lose 18 percent of its share from the Colorado River next year, according to the Associated Press.
That’s around 8 percent of the state’s total water use. Nevada will lose about 7 percent of its allocation, or 21,000 acre-feet of water.
California is spared from immediate cuts because it has more senior water rights than Arizona and Nevada. Mexico will see a reduction of roughly 5 percent, or 80,000 acre-feet.
The Imperial Irrigation District has addressed the cuts, though the district won’t yet be affected by the recently announced shortage reduction.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
