US States Face Major Water Cuts as Colorado River Drought Worsens

Federal officials have announced substantial water usage cuts for three U.S. Western states dependent on the Colorado River, which is grappling with a severe, prolonged drought. California, Nevada, and Arizona will collectively reduce their water consumption by 1.25 million acre-feet annually over the next two years, with potential for further cuts depending on conditions.

Arizona will bear the brunt of these reductions, while the upstream states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico are not subject to cuts at this time. Mexico, also a user of the river's water, will decrease its intake by 250,000 acre-feet as part of a bilateral treaty.

"We have been in this prolonged drought period of 26 years," explained Andrea Travnicek, deputy secretary of the Interior for water and science. "We continue to see a prolonged drought in our future. So continuing to work together as a whole within the basin is going to be extremely important."

The current rules governing the Colorado River's water use expire in October, and the seven states that share the river have not reached a consensus on long-term allocation. Last winter saw the worst snowpack on record for the Colorado River basin, intensifying pressure on farmers, industries, wildlife, hydroelectric power producers, and tens of millions of people who rely on the waterway, including numerous Native American tribes and two Mexican states.

Years of overuse, combined with drought and rising temperatures attributed to climate change, have depleted the nation's two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, both fed by the Colorado. Lake Mead recently fell to its lowest level in nine decades, with Lake Powell reaching a similar low about a week later. Their combined storage is at its lowest in nearly 70 years.

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We have been in this prolonged drought period of 26 years. We continue to see a prolonged drought in our future. So continuing to work together as a whole within the basin is going to be extremely important.