Colorado River conditions are worsening quicker than expected. Feds prepare to step in
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 … no longer be able to send water downstream at all. Conditions on the Colorado River are worsening quicker than expected. … Colorado is heading into its third La Niña winter in a row, likely indicating below-average snowpack.
Related articles:
- Grist: Feds to Colorado River states: reduce water usage, or we will do it for you
- jfleck at inkstain: Blog – A Colorado River hypothetical and an attention-getting cuss word
- Southwest Farm Press: Trifecta of factors affect Southwest water demand