The climate crisis is taking these farmers’ most valuable resource
The federal government declared a water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time, triggering mandatory water consumption cuts for states in the Southwest, as climate change-fueled drought pushes the level in Lake Mead to unprecedented lows. Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US by volume, has drained at an alarming rate this year. At around 1,067 feet above sea level and 35% full, the Colorado River reservoir is at its lowest since the lake was filled after the Hoover Dam was completed in the 1930s.
Related articles:
- High Country News: The incredible shrinking Colorado River
- NPR: Colorado River, Lifeline Of The West, Sees Historic Water Shortage Declaration
- Arizona Republic: Opinion: We hit the mark for additional cuts to prop up Lake Mead. How will that play out?
- Agri-News: Water-supply cuts in U.S. West to hammer Arizona farmers
- The Gazette: Ode to Navajo - A visit to ‘Colorado’s answer to Lake Powell’
- Steam Boat Pilot & Today: Colorado work group fails to reach consensus in anti-speculation report