States Propose , Competing Plans to Help , Lake Mead Water Levels Recover.
'Newsweek' reports that states in the lower Colorado River
basin have proposed solutions as water levels at Lake Mead
and Lake Powell inch closer to dead pool status.
Water cuts have already been
implemented and increased in
severity in Arizona and Nevada in 2023.
The cuts have left western states scrambling to come up
with a solution that preserves their access to Colorado
River water while also aiding the reservoirs' recovery.
'Newsweek' reports that increased water use and water
evaporation from global warming have contributed to
the declining water levels amid a historic 20-year drought.
Despite torrential rains and a higher-than-normal
snowpack melt, experts say water use must
be cut for the reservoirs to recover. .
So far, seven states in the Colorado River
basin, including California, have proposed , water conservation plans.
The best way to avoid conflict
and ensure that we can put water
in the river right away is through
a voluntary approach, not putting
proposals that sidestep the Law
of the River and ignore California's
senior right and give no respect to that, JB Hamby, Colorado River Board of
California Chairman, via Associated Press.
'Newsweek' reports that up to 80% of water
from the Colorado River is used for
agricultural purposes, including in California.
According to University of California, Davis professor
Jay Lund, humans need to reduce their water use,
even at the cost of fallowing local agriculture. .
We might get lucky with the weather,
but the idea of the system recovering
is really hard unless you reduce
water use in that basin, Jay Lund, Professor University of California, Davis, via 'Newsweek'