When researcher Brian Richter set out to take a close look at how big cities in the Western U.S. were adapting to water scarcity, he already knew the story’s basic contours. Previous studies showed the trend clearly for some large utilities. As a megadrought has baked the Southwest since 2000, the region’s biggest cities have reined in their use to keep pace with the declining supply.  But it had been years since someone took a more region-wide look at who was conserving and how much. … After gathering data for 28 large and medium-size water utilities dependent on the Colorado River, Richter and his team were able to see the more modern trend lines in sharp detail. The results surprised him. It wasn’t just that cities like Denver, Los Angeles, Tucson and Las Vegas were using less. They were doing it while growing rapidly. His 2023 study found that collectively the region’s cities had grown by 25% from 2000 to 2020, while their water use dropped by 18%. Per person use rates declined even more sharply, falling by 30%.

Other Colorado River articles:

• The Colorado Sun: Would cutting agricultural water use in Colorado prevent future shortage? Well …
• St. George News: ‘Could we light it on fire?’ Questions bubble up as Lake Powell’s ‘volcanoes’ erupt greenhouse gases
• Inkstain Blog: Rubber Soul, the path to elevation 1,040, and the game of chicken on the Colorado River
• The Denver Post: Opinion: When Lake Powell reaches “dead pool,” tear down the Glen Canyon Dam