According to the New York Times, the Colorado River has suffered a 14 year drought reducing the flow of the river and diminishing it’s man made reservoirs to less than half of their capacities. Approximately 75% of it’s water is used by agriculture in California’s Imperial Valley and Wyoming’s cattle herds (producing 15% of the nation’s food). Studies of global-warming are concluding that due to rising temperatures, the Colorado’s average flow will further be reduced by 2050 anywhere from 5% to 35%, even if rainfall remains the same, noting that most studies predict a reduction in rainfall.
Regional water agencies have allotments for river water, and in an effort to stretch those allotments they are seeking alternative resources. For example, some agencies are recycling sewage waste, while others have begun offering rebates to customers who remove their grass lawns or subsidize appliances with more water efficient models. Furthermore, this year the federal authorities will reduce the amount of water that flows into Lake Mead from Lake Powell. Lake Mead is one of the nation’s largest reservoirs. Lake Mead provides water to cities from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and is a critical source of water for millions of acres of farmland. According to the senior deputy manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority (“SNWA”), if Lake Mead goes below an elevation of 1,000 feet above sea level, SNWA would lose the ability to pump water for municipal services. The SNWA has been drilling tunnels under the lake in an attempt to capture more water, and are currently drilling an $817 million tunnel, the third so far.
Seven states, and Mexico, share the water from the Colorado River, and although some states have made progress in conservation efforts, there is no united plan to deal with the shortages that could last several years or decades. In the 1920s, the Colorado basin states split the water 50-50 between the upper-basin states (i.e., Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) and the lower-basin states (i.e., Arizona, California and Nevada). However, at the time it was not anticipated that the fast-growing lower-basin states would need more water than it’s upper counterpart.
During the 1960’s Arizona proposed the Central Arizona Project, a web of canals designed to irrigate the state’s farms and cities. In return for support of federal legislation needed to build the project, California required priority on lower-basin water. In the event that Lake Mead continues to fall, Arizona could lose half of its Colorado River water before California loses any. If Arizona loses its Colorado River water, the Central Arizona Project could lose revenue resulting in a likely increase to water costs for remaining customers. The farmers will likely return to pumping groundwater for irrigation, which is what the Central Arizona Project was designed to prevent.
According to the New York Times, solutions to this problem are few and, in some cases, unrealistic. Living with a permanently drier Colorado River may be possible, but will be very difficult. Finding more water poses problems as there are too few alternative sources to make an impact on the shortage. Conservation appears to be the most realistic and practical option, and it has already begun. Arizona farmers have started using laser technology to ensure their fields are flat, thereby reducing runoff. Southern California’s Metropolitan Water District is recycling sewage waste and giving away high-efficiency water nozzles and subsidizations for alternative lawns and appliances. In Southern Nevada, nearly all water used indoors is treated and returned to Lake Mead. While federal officials are acknowledging these efforts and their impacts, they insist much greater conservation is possible and necessary for the 21st century.
For more information: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/06/us/colorado-river-drought-forces-a-painful-reckoning-for-states.html?
