http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

State officials discussed the future of the Colorado River Basin at the annual Colorado River Water Users Association conference and acknowledge that the river was in a state of emergency that will soon be a crisis for the 40 million people who depend on it, whether for agriculture or municipalities. The problem is so great that a solution requires all parties in the basin to conserve. Colorado River water authorities have a Feb. 1 deadline for submitting their agreement to the Interior Department on a way to trim water use to avoid having water cuts imposed on them. E&E News (Arlington, Va.), Dec 19, 2022 Lakes Mead and Powell on the Colorado River have fallen so low amid years of drought that major water cuts will be needed in 2023 to lower the danger of supplies becoming too low for power production and continued water deliveries. The needed cuts may amount to 2 million to 4 million acre-feet in 2023, a top water official said during a Senate hearing. The Bureau of Reclamation is conferring with the seven Colorado River Basin states that rely on the river to come up with a plan for reducing water use in the next 60 days. Los Angeles Times (Calif.), June 14, 2022