Federal officials are proposing a plan to cut water allotments to states dependent on the Colorado River system to combat dwindling water levels on one of the country's most important bodies of water.
The U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Reclamation released aon Tuesday that details revisions in the operations of Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams, which could potentially evenly cut water allotment for water delivered to California, Arizona and Nevada by as much as one-quarter in order to prevent the Colorado River depleting reservoirs from falling to critically low levels.The Colorado River near Hoover Dam on the Arizona-Nevada border, March 13, 2023.
The second option concerns the amount of water released from Glen Canyon Dam, which would be reduced based on water rights. This would mean fewer cuts for California, which has the most senior water rights, and more severe cuts for Arizona and Nevada.
The alternatives presented in the draft on Tuesday analyze measures that may be taken to protect system operations in the face of "unprecedented hydrologic conditions" while providing equitable water allocations to Lower Basin communities that rely on the Colorado River System, according to a statement by the Bureau of Reclamation.
Two sunken boats are re-emerged as unprecedented drought reduces Colorado River and Lake Mead to critical water levels, Sept. 20, 2022, in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nev.The Colorado River Basin supplies drinking water to 40 million people in the U.S., as well as two states in Mexico, fuels hydropower resources in eight states and remains a crucial resource for 30 Tribal Nations as well as agriculture communities across the West, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
"Failure is not an option," Interior Department Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau said in a statement. "Recognizing the severity of the worsening drought, the Biden-Harris administration is bringing every tool and every resource to bear through the President’s Investing in America agenda to protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System now and into the future.
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