I may have spoken too soon on dowwnstream states staying open.DP
Feds to consider sending less Colorado River water to Arizona, California and
Nevada
Colorado River conditions are worsening quicker than expected. Feds prepare to
step in.
Drought, overconsumption, and climate change, are main factors dissipating the
amount of Colorado River water that will reach the Sea of Cortez on its journey
through the Colorado River Delta on Oct. 24, 2022 in Baja California, Mexico.
The flight for aerial photography was provided by LightHawk. (RJ Sangosti, The
Denver Post)
Running out of time and options to save water along the drying Colorado River,
federal officials said they’re considering whether to release less water from
the country’s two largest reservoirs downstream to Arizona, California and
Nevada.
Without enough snow this winter, the water level at Lake Powell — the country’s
second-largest reservoir — will drop below a critical level by next November,
according to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Below that
point, the Glen Canyon Dam will no longer be able to generate electricity and
experts worry whether conditions will worsen to the point that the structure
will no longer be able to send water downstream at all.
Conditions on the Colorado River are worsening quicker than expected. The seven
states in the river basin made little progress saving water over the summer and
Colorado is heading into its third La Niña winter in a row, likely indicating
below-average snowpack. A worst-case scenario, once considered only as a
hypothetical, now presents a very real threat, Conrad Swanson reports.
RELATED
- The West’s most important water supply is drying up. Soon, life for 40
million people who depend on the Colorado River will change.
