The West is Drying Up! Make that: Dried Up.
For the past 20 years the desert Southwest has faced its worst drought in modern times and perhaps in centuries. The cover picture above is a marina shot from Lake Mead in Nevada. Take a look at the drought monitor that came out yesterday and youโll see the dark red (extreme) drought areas:
Water shortages in US West likelier than previously thought
(AP Photo/John Locher,File)CARSON CITY, Nev. โ There's a chance water levels in the two largest man-made reservoirs in the United States could dip to critically low levels by 2025, jeopardizing the steady flow of Colorado River water that more than 40 million people rely on in the American West. After a relatively dry summer, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released models on Tuesday suggesting looming shortages in Lake Powell and Lake Mead โ the reservoirs where Colorado River water is stored โ are more likely than previously projected. Compared with an average year, only 55% of Colorado River water is flowing from the Rocky Mountains down to Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona line. Scientists use what's called the Colorado River Simulation System to project future levels of the two reservoirs. When projections drop below 1,075 feet (328 meters), Nevada and Arizona will face deeper cuts mandated by the plan.