The water crisis I’ve been writing about is not getting any better in the Southwestern states. As a result, the federal government has threatened to step in for the first time. On June 17th, the federal government issued a 60-day notice to seven states – Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California – to reduce their usage of the Colorado River by 2 to 4 million acre feet. If the states are not able to make the necessary cuts, the federal government says it will get involved and make the cuts for them in order to protect both the Lake Powell and Lake Mead reservoirs, which are dangerously low.
The Colorado River provides water to over 40 million people and farms, while its flow has declined approximately 20% since 2000. With the potential for government interference, there are many ideas being discussed to help reduce water usage. One potentially effective solution is to have farmers experiment with various methods, like fallow land, to preserve the amount of water, as they use 80% of the river water for their crops. It is unclear what impact this will have on the long-term productivity of the farms and the costs to consumers.
Another example of reducing water levels comes from Nevada. In the last twenty years, Nevada’s population has expanded by 800,000 people, while water levels have been reduced by 26%. The fountain outside the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas looks like it uses a lot of water, but it uses salt water that is not safe to drink. Also, the water for the fountain is recycled and the total amount of water used by the fountain is equivalent to the amount needed to water eight acres of alfalfa.
There are some good examples out there that can help reduce water usage. Let’s see what the states are able to negotiate. There’s still another 36 days to go…
Photo Credit: Juliet Studness
Jennifer Shutt, Idaho Capital Sun June 14. “Federal Agency Warns Colorado River Basin Water Usage Could Be Cut as Drought Worsens.” Idaho Capital Sun, 14 June 2022, https://idahocapitalsun.com/2022/06/14/federal-agency-warns-colorado-river-basin-water-usage-could-be-cut-as-drought-worsens/.
Smith, Jerd. “60 Days and Counting: Colorado River Cutbacks Achievable, Experts Say, as Long as Farm Interests Are on Board.” Water Education Colorado, 23 June 2022, https://www.watereducationcolorado.org/fresh-water-news/60-days-and-counting-colorado-river-cutbacks-achievable-experts-say-as-long-as-farm-interests-are-on-board/.
“Water.” Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, created by John Oliver, season 9, episode 16, Avalon Television Partially Important Productions, 2022.