10 trillion gallons of water lost in Colorado River Basin due to rising temperatures: Report
1 year, 4 months ago

10 trillion gallons of water lost in Colorado River Basin due to rising temperatures: Report

Hindustan Times  

The harmful effects of global warming are being felt very starkly across the United States. According to a report published by CNN, the Colorado River Basin has lost more than 10 trillion gallons of water between 2000 and 2021 due to rising temperatures. Colorado River Notably, the Colorado River runs through seven Western states and provides water for drinking, irrigation etc. According to the study published in the American Geophysical Union’s Water Resources Research, extreme temperatures in the West have caused about a 10% decrease in the river’s flow in the last two decades. A Tier 2 shortage was implemented in January 2023 due to even lower water levels in Lake Mead, USA's largest reservoir.

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History of this topic

Letters to the Editor: It’s time to build a water pipeline to supply the Colorado River
1 week, 4 days ago

Letters to the Editor: It’s time to build a water pipeline to supply the Colorado River

LA Times  

Tourists visit the Hoover Dam, which impounds the Colorado River to create Lake Mead, in Nevada in April 2023. Knowing the dire sense of urgency, we should at least consider — in lieu of toilet to tap, paying farmers to fallow their fields, sucking more groundwater out of sinking land and starting more water wars — a 1,000-mile water pipeline …

Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will lose same amount of Colorado River water next year as in 2024
4 months, 1 week ago

Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will lose same amount of Colorado River water next year as in 2024

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will continue to live with less water next year from the Colorado River after the U.S. government on Thursday announced water cuts that preserve the status quo. Officials do so based on water levels at Lake Mead, one of the river’s two main reservoirs that act as barometers of its health. Based on those …

As Colorado River states await water cuts, they struggle to find agreement on longer-term plans
4 months, 1 week ago

As Colorado River states await water cuts, they struggle to find agreement on longer-term plans

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The federal government is expected to announce water cuts soon that would affect some of the 40 million people reliant on the Colorado River, the powerhouse of the U.S. West. In 2007, following years of drought, the seven U.S. states in the basin — Arizona, Nevada, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — and the federal government …

As a deadline approaches, Colorado River states are still far apart on water sharing
9 months, 2 weeks ago

As a deadline approaches, Colorado River states are still far apart on water sharing

NPR  

As a deadline approaches, Colorado River states are still far apart on water sharing Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Hager/KUNC Alex Hager/KUNC Ahead of a deadline next week, the seven states that share the Colorado River have revealed competing plans for how the river should be managed in the future. Reservoirs drying up Mitchell and her Upper Basin colleagues …

States in Colorado River basin pitch new ways to absorb shortages but clash on the approach
9 months, 2 weeks ago

States in Colorado River basin pitch new ways to absorb shortages but clash on the approach

Associated Press  

SANTA ANA, Calif. — The seven U.S. states that draw water from the Colorado River basin are suggesting new ways to determine how the increasingly scarce resource is divvied up when the river can’t provide what it historically promised. The seven U.S. states that draw water from the Colorado River basin are suggesting new ways to determine how the increasingly …

Feds say Colorado River water cuts are sufficient to stave off immediate risks
1 year, 1 month ago

Feds say Colorado River water cuts are sufficient to stave off immediate risks

LA Times  

Current plans for reducing water use along the Colorado River should be sufficient to stave off the risk of reservoirs reaching critically low levels over the next three years, according to a new analysis by the federal government. Deputy Interior Secretary Tommy Beaudreau said the ongoing conservation efforts by states in the Colorado River Basin have helped ease the immediate …

Western states will not lose as much Colorado River water in 2024, despite long-term challenges
1 year, 4 months ago

Western states will not lose as much Colorado River water in 2024, despite long-term challenges

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Federal officials said Tuesday they will ease water cuts for Western states reliant on the Colorado River in 2024, thanks to a slightly improved outlook, but long-term challenges remain. The tribe gets Colorado River water through the the same aqueduct system that delivers river water to Arizona’s major cities. One farming district in Arizona’s Pinal County outside of …

Colorado River losing vast amounts of water due to warming climate, study finds
1 year, 4 months ago

Colorado River losing vast amounts of water due to warming climate, study finds

LA Times  

Children play on the shore of Lake Mead, near Las Vegas. “We’re going to continue to see reductions in runoff due to rising temperatures.” Average temperatures in the Colorado River Basin have already risen about 2.7 degrees, according to the study, which was published in the journal Water Resources Research. He called it “a wake-up call to the climate change …

Here’s how much Lake Mead could rise after an epic winter and new water cuts
1 year, 6 months ago

Here’s how much Lake Mead could rise after an epic winter and new water cuts

CNN  

CNN — Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, spent much of last spring and summer in free fall. “We’re doing great from a water year perspective,” Paul Miller, a hydrologist at the Colorado Basin River Forecast Office, told CNN. For Western states, he added, the situation allows time to figure out “how do we take advantage of this relatively wet …

Editorial: Colorado River water deal gives California another reprieve. For now
1 year, 7 months ago

Editorial: Colorado River water deal gives California another reprieve. For now

LA Times  

A “bathtub ring” displays the drop in water levels on Lake Mead, which provides much of Southern California’s water and is fed by a diminishing Colorado River. The real reckoning comes when operating agreements expire for Lake Mead, which feeds the Colorado’s water to Southern California and the two other lower-basin states, and Lake Powell, which regulates the flow into …

Half of US West out of drought, but not fully recovered
1 year, 7 months ago

Half of US West out of drought, but not fully recovered

Associated Press  

DENVER — Nearly half of the U.S. West has emerged from drought this spring, but the welcome wet conditions haven’t entirely replenished the region, scientists said Tuesday. Hydrologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said deep snowpack across much of the West will bring short-term relief, but the equally deep “bathtub rings” at Lake Powell and Lake Mead reservoirs …

Five key things to know about the Colorado River
1 year, 8 months ago

Five key things to know about the Colorado River

Al Jazeera  

One of the largest rivers in the US is in crisis. It provides water to 40 million people Approximately 40 million people in Mexico and across seven US states rely on the Colorado River and its tributaries for their drinking water. The Imperial Irrigation District, serving a rich agricultural area in southern California, is the single-largest Colorado River water user …

As Colorado River shrinks, water evaporation becomes critical to California’s future supplies
1 year, 10 months ago

As Colorado River shrinks, water evaporation becomes critical to California’s future supplies

LA Times  

Much of the Colorado River’s water is diverted from reservoirs and transported in canals to the farmlands and cities of the desert Southwest. The states’ proposal calls evaporation and other water losses “infrastructure protection volumes,” or IPV, and says these amounts should be immediately applied as reductions. The proposal from the six states draws on suggestions by Las Vegas’ water …

Colorado River crisis is so bad, lakes Mead and Powell are unlikely to refill in our lifetimes
1 year, 10 months ago

Colorado River crisis is so bad, lakes Mead and Powell are unlikely to refill in our lifetimes

LA Times  

The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is the deepest it’s been in decades, but those storms that were a boon for Northern California won’t make much of a dent in the long-term water shortage for the Colorado River Basin — an essential source of supplies for Southern California. “To think that these things would ever refill requires some kind of …

In the West, pressure to count water lost to evaporation
1 year, 10 months ago

In the West, pressure to count water lost to evaporation

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Exposed to the beating sun and hot dry air, more than 10% of the water carried by the Colorado River evaporates, leaks or spills as the 1,450-mile powerhouse of the West flows through the region’s dams, reservoirs and open-air canals. For decades, key stewards of the river have ignored the massive water loss, instead allocating Arizona, California, Nevada …

In the West, pressure to count water lost to evaporation
1 year, 10 months ago

In the West, pressure to count water lost to evaporation

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Exposed to the beating sun and hot dry air, more than 10% of the water carried by the Colorado River evaporates, leaks or spills as the 1,450-mile powerhouse of the West flows through the region’s dams, reservoirs and open-air canals. For decades, key stewards of the river have ignored the massive water loss, instead allocating Arizona, California, Nevada …

The Times podcast: Colorado River in Crisis, Part 1: A Dying River
1 year, 11 months ago

The Times podcast: Colorado River in Crisis, Part 1: A Dying River

LA Times  

A formerly sunken boat stands upright along the shoreline of Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Interior Department announced last fall that it will consider revising a set of guidelines for operating two major dams on the Colorado River in the first sign of what could lead to federal action to protect the shrinking reservoirs behind them. …

Federal officials say urgent action needed to protect shrinking Colorado River reservoirs
2 years ago

Federal officials say urgent action needed to protect shrinking Colorado River reservoirs

LA Times  

A boat sits in a cove on Lake Powell, in Utah, in May. Speaking at the conference Friday, Touton said: “I can feel the anxiety, the uncertainty in this room, and in the basin, as we look at the river and the hydrology that we face.” Touton noted that an agreement a century ago, the 1922 Colorado River Compact, divided …

Growing fears of ‘dead pool’ on Colorado River as drought threatens Hoover Dam water
2 years ago

Growing fears of ‘dead pool’ on Colorado River as drought threatens Hoover Dam water

LA Times  

The Colorado River’s largest reservoirs stand nearly three-quarters empty, and federal officials now say there is a real danger the reservoirs could drop so low that water would no longer flow past Hoover Dam in two years. Outlining their latest projections for Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the nation’s two largest reservoirs, federal water managers said there is a risk …

Colorado River water users convening amid crisis concerns
2 years ago

Colorado River water users convening amid crisis concerns

Associated Press  

LAS VEGAS — Living with less water in the U.S. Southwest is the focus this week for state and federal water administrators, tribal officials, farmers, academics and business representatives meeting about the drought-stricken and overpromised Colorado River. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in June told the seven states that are part of the Colorado River Basin — Arizona, California, Colorado, …

Feds to Colorado River states: reduce water usage, or we will do it for you
2 years, 1 month ago

Feds to Colorado River states: reduce water usage, or we will do it for you

Salon  

This story is part of the Grist series Parched, an in-depth look at how climate change-fueled drought is reshaping communities, economies, and ecosystems. In theory, the federal government can unilaterally cut water deliveries from the Colorado River's two main reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which release more than 2 trillion gallons of water to farms and cities across the …

New US plan could lead to federal action on Colorado River
2 years, 1 month ago

New US plan could lead to federal action on Colorado River

Associated Press  

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The Interior Department announced Friday that it will consider revising a set of guidelines for operating two major dams on the Colorado River in the first sign of what could lead to federal action to protect the once-massive but shrinking reservoirs behind them. “At the same time, we are committed to taking prompt and decisive action necessary …

Crisis looms without big cuts to over-tapped Colorado River
2 years, 4 months ago

Crisis looms without big cuts to over-tapped Colorado River

Associated Press  

SALT LAKE CITY — Hydroelectric turbines may stop turning. People have “been hoping to stave off this day,” said Felicia Marcus, a former top water official in California, which holds the largest right to the river’s water. Entsminger and his counterparts in Arizona, Utah and California, as well as local officials in and around Phoenix, also repeated what has become …

Drought in the US: Water Supply Cut for States Colorado, Arizona; Mexico’s Quota Reduced
2 years, 4 months ago

Drought in the US: Water Supply Cut for States Colorado, Arizona; Mexico’s Quota Reduced

News 18  

Water supplies to some US states and Mexico will be cut to avoid “catastrophic collapse” of the Colorado River, Washington officials said Tuesday, as a historic drought bites. More than two decades of well below average rainfall have left the river — the lifeblood of the western United States — at critical levels, as human-caused climate change worsens the natural …

US states hit by extreme drought face more water cuts
2 years, 4 months ago

US states hit by extreme drought face more water cuts

Al Jazeera  

Cuts affecting Arizona and Nevada come as water levels at the nation’s largest manmade reservoir, Lake Mead, are set to drop further. For the second year in a row, the US states of Arizona and Nevada will face cuts in the amount of water they can draw from the Colorado River as the Western United States endures an extreme drought, …

Severe drought at US’s largest reservoir revealed through the decades by Nasa satellite images
2 years, 5 months ago

Severe drought at US’s largest reservoir revealed through the decades by Nasa satellite images

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy New satellite images released by Nasa have shown water levels at historic lows in Lake …

As water crisis worsens on Colorado River, an urgent call for Western states to ‘act now’
2 years, 6 months ago

As water crisis worsens on Colorado River, an urgent call for Western states to ‘act now’

LA Times  

A person walks past a formerly sunken boat on a now-dry section of lakebed at Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir. She provided details about the federal government’s approach to the crisis two days after Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton announced that major cuts of between 2 million and 4 million acre-feet will be needed next year to keep reservoirs …

Major water cutbacks loom as shrinking Colorado River nears ‘moment of reckoning’
2 years, 6 months ago

Major water cutbacks loom as shrinking Colorado River nears ‘moment of reckoning’

LA Times  

Exposed banks of Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam show how low water levels have dropped on the Colorado River-fed reservoir due to persistent and worsening drought. As the West endures another year of unrelenting drought worsened by climate change, the Colorado River’s reservoirs have declined so low that major water cuts will be necessary next year to reduce risks of …

Tucson may forego some water to help keep Lake Mead level up
2 years, 7 months ago

Tucson may forego some water to help keep Lake Mead level up

Associated Press  

TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona’s second most populous city has signaled it may forego part of its allotment of Colorado River water delivered by the Central Arizona Project aqueduct in order to help forestall a shortage declaration for Lake Mead that would trigger mandatory reductions. The Tucson City Council included its potential willingness to take 20% less CAP water in voting …

Water shortages on Colorado River could eventually hit California, Arizona warns
2 years, 7 months ago

Water shortages on Colorado River could eventually hit California, Arizona warns

LA Times  

A rainbow hangs over Lake Powell on March 28 in Page, Ariz. Lake Powell has declined to just 24% of full capacity, the lowest point since it was filled in the 1960s following the construction of Glen Canyon Dam. Federal projections show Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the country’s two largest reservoirs, will keep on declining in the coming months, …

Vegas water intake now visible at drought-stricken Lake Mead
2 years, 7 months ago

Vegas water intake now visible at drought-stricken Lake Mead

Associated Press  

LAS VEGAS — A massive drought-starved reservoir on the Colorado River has become so depleted that Las Vegas now is pumping water from deeper within Lake Mead where other states downstream don’t have access. The Southern Nevada Water Authority announced this week that its Low Lake Level Pumping Station is operational, and released photos of the uppermost intake visible at …

In drought-stricken West, officials weigh emergency actions
2 years, 8 months ago

In drought-stricken West, officials weigh emergency actions

Associated Press  

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Federal officials say it may be necessary to reduce water deliveries to users on the Colorado River to prevent the shutdown of a huge dam that supplies hydropower to some 5 million customers across the U.S. West. The Interior Department has proposed holding back water in the lake to maintain Glen Canyon Dam’s ability to generate electricity …

Drought Is Threatening Hydropower in the Southwestern US
2 years, 8 months ago

Drought Is Threatening Hydropower in the Southwestern US

Wired  

News that Lake Powell, a reservoir on the border of Arizona and Utah, is slowly but surely drying up has spread far and wide. Behind the 1,320-megawatt Glen Canyon Dam and power station, Lake Powell plays an important role in providing power for some 3 million customers in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. According to Becki Bryant, the …

As climate talks put focus on water crisis, the Colorado River provides a stark example
3 years, 1 month ago

As climate talks put focus on water crisis, the Colorado River provides a stark example

LA Times  

As world leaders meet in Scotland this week to discuss efforts to address the climate crisis, experts are urging greater focus on adapting to fundamental shifts in the planet’s water supplies — and they’re pointing to the Colorado River as a prime example. “I can easily point to the Colorado as a place where we only have hard choices now.” …

Harris to discuss drought, climate change at Lake Mead
3 years, 2 months ago

Harris to discuss drought, climate change at Lake Mead

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday will highlight the problems caused by Western drought as she visits Lake Mead in Nevada and makes the case for the Biden administration’s infrastructure and climate change proposals that have stalled in Congress. Harris will be briefed by Bureau of Reclamation officials about elevation levels at the manmade reservoir that supplies drinking …

Lake Powell has a 1-in-3 risk of hydropower shutdown in 2023 due to ‘megadrought’
3 years, 3 months ago

Lake Powell has a 1-in-3 risk of hydropower shutdown in 2023 due to ‘megadrought’

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Declining water levels at Lake Powell leaves a one-in-three chance that its dam will be …

US projections on drought-hit Colorado River grow more dire
3 years, 3 months ago

US projections on drought-hit Colorado River grow more dire

Associated Press  

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The U.S. government released projections Wednesday that indicate an even more troubling outlook for a river that serves 40 million people in the American West. By 2025, there’s a 66% chance Lake Mead, a barometer for how much river water some states get, will reach a level where California would be in its second phase of cuts. …

EXPLAINER: Western states face first federal water cuts
3 years, 4 months ago

EXPLAINER: Western states face first federal water cuts

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — U.S. officials on Monday declared the first-ever water shortage from a river that serves 40 million people in the West, triggering cuts to some Arizona farmers next year amid a gripping drought. !function{"use strict";window.addEventListener{iffor{var t=document.getElementById||document.querySelector;t&&}}))};</script><p class="social-caption"></p></div><p>Lake Powell's levels also are falling, threatening the roughly 5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity generated each year at the Glen Canyon Dam.</p><p>Colorado, …

US officials declare first-ever water shortage for Colorado River
3 years, 4 months ago

US officials declare first-ever water shortage for Colorado River

Al Jazeera  

Officials called on populations served by the river to reduce water usage starting next year. United States officials declared the first-ever water shortage for the Colorado River, an arterial waterway that serves 40 million people in the country’s west, and called on the population it serves to reduce their usage next year. However, the declaration from federal officials makes clear …

U.S. declares first-ever water shortage for Colorado river, triggering cuts in Western states
3 years, 4 months ago

U.S. declares first-ever water shortage for Colorado river, triggering cuts in Western states

LA Times  

A buoy sits above the waterline at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Aug. 13, 2021, near Boulder City, Nev. U.S. officials on Monday declared the first water shortage from a river that serves 40 million people in the West, triggering cuts to some Arizona farmers next year amid a gripping drought. But water levels at Lake Mead and …

First water cuts in US West supply to hammer Arizona farmers
3 years, 4 months ago

First water cuts in US West supply to hammer Arizona farmers

Associated Press  

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. — A harvester rumbles through the fields in the early morning light, mowing down rows of corn and chopping up ears, husks and stalks into mulch for feed at a local dairy. Standing next to a dry field, his boots kicking up dust, farmer Will Thelander said “more and more of the farm is going to look …

Lake Powell hits lowest water level on record
3 years, 4 months ago

Lake Powell hits lowest water level on record

CNN  

CNN — Plagued by climate change-fueled drought and increasing demand for water, Lake Powell, the second largest reservoir in the United States, has fallen to its lowest level on record since it was first filled more than 50 years ago. John Fleck, the director of the Water Resources Program at the University of New Mexico, told Lake Powell might not …

Lake Mead’s ‘bathtub ring’ shows historic water decline as first-ever ‘tier 1’ shortage to be declared
3 years, 5 months ago

Lake Mead’s ‘bathtub ring’ shows historic water decline as first-ever ‘tier 1’ shortage to be declared

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The US is expected to declare its first-ever “tier one” water shortage at Lake Mead …

Lake Mead drops to a record low amid drought
3 years, 6 months ago

Lake Mead drops to a record low amid drought

LA Times  

A boat motors along at Lake Mead, a key reservoir on the Colorado River. Lake Mead, a key reservoir on the Colorado River, has dipped to a record low level in the latest evidence of drought’s grip on the region. It’s the lowest level since Lake Mead was filled in the 1930s. Lake Mead levels ebb and flow throughout the …

Key reservoir on Colorado River hits record low amid drought
3 years, 6 months ago

Key reservoir on Colorado River hits record low amid drought

Associated Press  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A key reservoir on the Colorado River has dipped to its record low in the latest showing of the drought’s grip on the region. “We’re expecting the reservoir to keep declining until November, then it should start to rebound,” said U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokeswoman Patti Aaron. “You look at the reservoir and it’s concerning.” Lake Mead …

US: More must be done to protect Colorado River from drought
4 years ago

US: More must be done to protect Colorado River from drought

Associated Press  

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A set of guidelines for managing the Colorado River helped several states through a dry spell, but it’s not enough to keep key reservoirs in the American West from plummeting amid persistent drought and climate change, according to a U.S. report released Friday. The report by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation found that the guidelines provided stability, …

US West faces reckoning over water but avoids cuts for now
4 years, 4 months ago

US West faces reckoning over water but avoids cuts for now

Associated Press  

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The white rings that wrap around two massive lakes in the U.S. West are a stark reminder of how water levels are dropping and a warning that the 40 million people who rely on the Colorado River face a much drier future. “But people certainly ought to be aware that water — the importation of a …

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