What Can Reduced Flows from the Colorado River Mean to California, Arizona, Nevada and the Upper Basin?

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The Biden administration wants to deal with the decreasing water level in the Colorado River that provides drinking water and electric power for more than 40 million people. The Colorado River is very important because it is 1,450 miles long and supplies seven U.S. states, lots of Native American tribes and two Mexican states with water. This river also helps irrigate nearly 5.5 million acres of farmland located in both the US and Mexico too.

Because of serious dry spells, global warming and too little water flowing compared to how much water people were promised, government officials are now thinking about what to do.

The Interior Department is looking at two ways to reduce the water supply for Arizona, Nevada and California. The first way gives more benefits to California and some tribes with older rights to the water, while the second one makes it easier for Arizona and Nevada who have recent water rights. The government has made no decisions yet.

A Troubled Colorado River Reaches Lowest Level as States Disagree on Solutions

Last June, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation which is a part of the Interior Department made an astonishing announcement when levels in Colorado River’s reservoirs reached its lowest amount ever. Federal officials mentioned that using water from the basin needs to be put down by 15% to 30%.

The states couldn’t agree, so nothing was decided. This caused trouble for the Colorado River, which has America’s biggest reservoirs. The Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam control these reservoirs, and officials had to think about changing how they operate them.

In January, several states had different plans on how to decrease use. For example, California came up with separate proposal from the other six states including Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. The new ideas that were released Tuesday were based off of some of these old plans while discarding others.

A Look at How California’s Priority-Based Proposal Would Affect Its Water Allocation and Usage

California gets 4.4 million acre feet of water every year, more than any other state near the Colorado River basin. This means that California’s right to use water is also one of the most reliable.

Lake Mead is a big contributor to how much water California, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico can have access to.

The rules in California don’t make them lose any water until Lake Mead gets to 1,045 feet (318 meters) or lower. That’s just a bit less than it is right now. And even if things get really bad, California will be better off than the other states in the Lower Basin.

The priority-based proposal would help cities and rural areas in California, such as the Imperial Valley. This is a large farming region in the south of the state that produces lots of winter veggies for the whole US. The Valley will not lose any extra water because they already have strong rights.

However, if they spread the cuts more equally across California, this would be much worse – ultimately resulting in up to one fifth reduction of its overall allocation.

Farmers in regions with less water would have a hard time growing their crops, possibly meaning they would not even bother planting on some areas. Cities like LA and San Diego could still use other sources of water, but running out of river water could cause new rules that would stop people from doing things like watering their lawns.

“Water Wars

Arizona has a big problem because most of its water has a lower rank in the legal system.

People living in Arizona are allowed to use 2.8 million acres of water from the Colorado River each year, but Native American tribes by the Colorado River and farmers near Yuma have higher priority than people living in cities.

The Central Arizona Project looks after a canal system that sends water to Phoenix and Tucson, which amounts to around 1.6 million acres. They have already experienced two times of cuts in their water supply, and this priority-based plan would also hurt them greatly.

In 2024, Arizona could lose almost two-thirds of its river water if the cuts are based on the priority system. With the proportional system, which requires California to give up more water, Arizona would lose around one-third of it. Also, some people from Arizona who use water from Lake Mead could have zero supplies if the lake goes too low and damages power production.

It’s not easy to know what will happen to farmers and cities if either plan is put in place. Arizona’s most populated areas don’t just use water from the Colorado River; many have been storing water underground for a long time.

Nevada’s Limited Colorado River Allocation

Nevada gets 300,000 acre feet of water from the Colorado River, which is the least among all other states in the Lower Basin. Water recycling and other strategies have allowed Las Vegas to have enough water even though Nevada doesn’t use its full allocation. However, it’s not certain yet how deeper cuts would affect people living there.

Allocated Water Supply Stays the Same for Four Western States

No matter which plan is chosen, the water that is taken out of the river will not change for Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming. These four states use the supplies directly from the river and usually don’t use all of the 7.5 million gallons that has been allocated for them.

“A Fresh Start

The analysis has given people who use water a chance to start fresh in terms of deciding how much to reduce the amount they take.

Jay Weiner, an attorney for the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, said “This means discussing how bad the pain will be and who it affects.” The tribe which is located on the Arizona-California border has priority rights when it comes to taking water and California and its irrigation districts don’t agree with going around this system.

Bill Hasencamp, the one in charge of managing water resources in Southern California, says two ideas will help everyone work together to find agreement within the next 45 days. It has been very hard to reach a conclusion on this topic for almost a year.

Stabilizing Hydropower Through Water Conservation

If we do nothing, the water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead could drop so much that hydropower from their dams would be affected. That’s already been happening, so if we conserve water more, it will help. The amount of rain and snow we get as well as temperature also affects these lakes.

The proposed plan would help keep the amount of water in Lake Powell, but it might reduce how much power can be produced at Hoover Dam. People all agree that waiting for the current rules and agreements to end in 2026 is not helpful. So, we need to figure out a new way to share cuts so that both the dams have a steady output of electricity.

Delayed Deadlines and Mexican Meetings

People living in different states, tribes, and other water user’s groups have until May 30 to tell their thoughts and opinions. The authority will release their final ruling on the situation this summer. If people from those places can’t agree on something, that deadline can be pushed back further.

At the same time, people from America and Mexico will meet in the upcoming weeks to discuss what Mexico should do with its extra water. This meeting has nothing to do with agreements between Native American tribes or U.S. states in America.

In August, the government will tell us how much water they can give us by 2024. This could mean giving us less water than usual or making changes to the water available in certain states or Mexico.

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