Drought worsens, U.S. officials declare first-ever water shortage from the Colorado River

Kim Harris

Managing Editor

As the drought continues to worsen in California, U.S. officials declared the first-ever water shortage from the Colorado River last week that serves some 40 million people in the West. The move triggered cuts to some Arizona farmers next year amid the ongoing drought.

Water levels at the largest reservoir on the Colorado River – Lake Mead – have fallen to record lows. Along its perimeter, a white "bathtub ring" of minerals outlines where the high water line once stood, underscoring the acute water challenges for a region facing a growing population and a drought that is being worsened by hotter, drier weather brought on by climate change.

States, cities, farmers and others have diversified their water sources over the years, helping soften the blow of the upcoming cuts. But federal officials said that declaration makes clear that conditions have intensified faster than scientists predicted in 2019, when some states in the Colorado River basin, including California, agreed to give up shares of water to maintain levels at Lake Mead.

"The announcement today is a recognition that the hydrology that was planned for years ago – but we hoped we would never see – is here," Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton said.

Water stored in Lake Mead and Lake Powell is divided up through legal agreements among the seven Colorado River basin states, the federal government, Mexico and others. The agreements determine how much water each gets, when cuts are triggered and the order in which the parties must sacrifice some of their supply.

Under a 2019 drought contingency plan, Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico agreed to give up shares of their water to maintain water levels at Lake Mead. The voluntary measures weren't enough to prevent the shortage declaration.

Cuts for 2022 are triggered when predicted water levels fall below a certain threshold – 1,075 feet (328 meters) above sea level, or 40% capacity. Hydrologists predict that by January, the reservoir will drop to 1,066 feet (325 meters), according to a report by The Associated Press.

Further rounds of cuts are triggered when projected levels sink to 1,050, 1,045 and 1,025 feet (320, 318 and 312 meters). As of last week, Arizona and Nevada will face cuts, but California will be spared from immediate cuts because it has more senior water rights, though eventually, some city and industrial water users could be affected, the news agency reported.

The U.S. Drought Monitor weekly report dated Aug. 26, shows that much of the state is now in extreme to exceptional drought, with the percentage of the area in exceptional drought growing from 5.36% of the state to 33.32% over the past four months. The percentage of the state in extreme drought grew from 35.42% to 88.37% and the percentage of the state in severe drought rose from 69.68% to 95.58% over the same time period.

Those numbers mean that all but 11.63% of the state is experiencing extreme drought, and with no rain on the horizon, there's no relief in sight.

California had been drought-free in December 2019, but by February 2020, drought conditions began to reappear, something that has continued to worsen over the past 18 months.

Water levels in major reservoirs have dropped far below historic averages according to data released online by the California Department of Water Resources. While Lake Perris remains at 86% capacity, down 2% from July, reservoirs to the north such as Pine Flat Lake (20%) San Luis Reservoir (16%) and even Folsom Lake (24%) are dangerously low and with no measurable snow pack in the state, the likelihood of lake levels improving is virtually nonexistent.

As the 2020-2021 wet season ended, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency in 41 northern and central California counties. Newsom, on July 9, expanded that drought emergency to 50 of the state's 58 counties and asked Californians to cut water consumption by 15% compared to 2020 levels. Currently, the only counties not included in that drought emergency are San Francisco, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial and San Diego. 

State officials estimate an additional 15% voluntary reduction by urban water users from 2020 levels could save as much as 850,000 acre-feet of water over the next year for future use, or enough to supply more than 1.7 million households for a year.

Newsom has also directed state agencies to take further actions to preserve critical water supplies, address drought impacts and protect people, natural resources and economic activity.

For more tips on saving water, visit www.saveourwater.com.

Learn more about current drought conditions, the state's response and informational resources available to the public at the state's new drought preparedness website, https://drought.ca.gov.

Kim Harris can be reached by email at [email protected].