Tier 2 shortage for the Colorado River Basin
8/17/2022 1:24:41 AM
CATEGORIES:
Relief, Response & Restrictions
Water Supply & Quality
AFFECTED AREAS:
Arizona
California
Colorado
New Mexico
Nevada
Utah
Wyoming
Start Date: 8/16/2022
- End Date: 12/31/2023
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced that the Colorado River Basin would enter a Tier 2 shortage, which will require cuts in water to Arizona of 21%, Nevada, 8% and the country of Mexico by 7%. The country’s two largest reservoirs held about a quarter of their capacity and were continuing to drop lower, which could threaten to disrupt drinking water supplies and hydropower production.
In June, Colorado River Basin states were told to devise a way to use 2 to 4 million acre-feet less water, otherwise the federal government would decide the cuts for the states. The deadline for delivering the plan was Aug. 15, which came and went without a solution.
The Washington Post (D.C.), Aug. 16, 2022
Sources
