To prevent the Colorado River from reaching critically low levels, two solutions have been laid out by the US government which includes water cuts in the Southwest following the water-rights priority system. This decision impacts California the most compared to other states such as Arizona and Nevada since it receives the largest yearly share of the Colorado River.
As water agencies continue to negotiate on how to address the chronic water shortages most efficiently and effectively, “The prolonged drought afflicting the American West is one of the most significant challenges facing our country today,” said Deputy Interior Secretary Tommy Beaudreau, for the Los Angeles Times. “We’re in the third decade of a historic drought that has caused conditions that the people who built this system would not have imagined.”
The US Bureau of Reclamation has presented a plan to deal with the water shortages through 2026 but federal officials have concluded that the plan will be inadequate if water reservoirs continue to decline. The Colorado River’s reservoirs have significantly declined during its twenty three years of drought, intensified by climate change.
The Rocky Mountains have recently received its largest amount of snow in a season since 1997. The likelihood it returns to dry conditions means the region needs to plan for additional water cuts over the next few years, officials stated. Representatives and water officials from seven states continue to negotiate to preserve and properly divide the resources from the Colorado River.
by Justin Goldberg