Mega Drought in the US Southwest

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[Chefist]

By definition a desert is in a continuous state of severe drought...thus the ecological classification of "desert". FYI

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Faced with an historic drought, California cities have enacted unprecedented water usage restrictions on residents. Calls for conservation dot billboards and emergency notification signs on freeways, the dire warnings a steady reminder to save water. But a report from the Public Policy of California shares that urban use only accounts for 10% of all the states water. Around 40% is used to grow food, and food for our food like cattle. The remaining 50% is used for other environmental causes, like rivers and lakes.  Professor Benjamin L Ruddell, Ph.D. studies urban planning and water policy and joined 5 Live to discuss where the water is going.

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Officials fear "Doomsday Scenario" for drought-stricken Colorado River

If that happens, the massive turbines that generate electricity for 4.5 million people would have to shut down — after nearly 60 years of use — or risk destruction from air bubbles. The only outlet for Colorado River water from the dam would then be a set of smaller, deeper and rarely used bypass tubes with a far more limited ability to pass water downstream to the Grand Canyon and the cities and farms in Arizona, Nevada and California.

Such an outcome — known as a “minimum power pool” — was once unfathomable here. Now, the federal government projects that day could come as soon as July.

https://archive.ph/7aG9r

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/12/01/drought-colorado-river-lake-powell/

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 A showdown over Colorado River water is setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle

The federal government wanted seven western states that rely on the river to decide how to cut up to 30% of its water allocation. But there's one holdout: California.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/colorado-river-water-usage-sets-stage-for-legal-battle/1476445

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Drought Update

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The Biden administration floated two ideas this week to reduce water usage from the dwindling Colorado River, which supplies 40 million people.

https://apnews.com/article/colorado-river-water-west-california-arizona-5fefe545767b805900f4b967a7c8da25

The 1,450-mile (2,334-kilometer) river is a lifeline for seven U.S. states, dozens of Native American tribes, and two states in Mexico. It irrigates nearly 5.5 million acres (about 2.2 million hectares) of farmland in the U.S. and Mexico and generates hydroelectric power used across the West. In recent decades, drought, climate change and an imbalance between the river’s flows and how much water users are promised

Tuesday’s analysis from the Interior Department considers two ways to force cuts in the water supply for Arizona, Nevada and California: use the existing water priority system or the same percentage across the board. California and some tribes with senior rights to water benefit more under the first option. Arizona and Nevada, largely with junior rights, don’t feel as much pain under the second. Federal officials haven’t taken a stance.

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The film was made in 1967, and not 1976...

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States dependent on Colorado River required to conserve unprecedented amount of water in landmark deal

States will be required to conserve 3 million-acre-feet of water through 2026.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/states-dependent-colorado-river-required-conserve-unprecedented-amount/story?id=99509575

The three Colorado River lower basin states -- California, Nevada and Arizona -- will be required to conserve an unprecedented 3 million-acre-feet of water through 2026, the White House announced in a press release Monday.