Some U.S. states and Mexico must reduce their water use to avoid a “catastrophic collapse” of the Colorado River, Washington officials said Tuesday, as a historic drought struck.
More than two decades of well-below-average rainfall have pushed the river — the lifeblood of the western United States — to critical levels as human-caused climate change exacerbates the natural cycle of drought.
Despite years of warning, states dependent on the river have failed to reduce their demands sufficiently, and on Tuesday the federal government said it was imposing cuts.
“To avoid a catastrophic collapse of the Colorado River system and a future of insecurity and conflict, water use in the basin must be reduced,” said Tanya Trujillo, assistant secretary for water and science at the Interior Department.
Arizona’s allotment from the river will fall 21 percent in 2023, while Nevada will receive eight percent less. Mexico’s allocation will decrease by seven percent.
California, the largest user of the river’s water and the most populous of the western states, will not be affected next year.
The Colorado River originates in the Rocky Mountains and meanders through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California and northern Mexico where it empties into the Gulf of California.
It is mainly fed by the snowpack at high altitudes, which slowly melts in the warmer months.
But less precipitation and the higher temperatures caused by humanity’s uncontrolled burning of fossil fuels means less snow falls and existing snow melts faster.
As a result, there isn’t as much water in the river, which feeds millions of people and countless acres of farmland.
Deputy Home Secretary Tommy Beaudreau said the department — the arm of government responsible for water resources — “is using all available resources to conserve water and ensure that irrigation companies, tribes and neighboring communities receive adequate support.”
“The worsening drought crisis affecting the Colorado River Basin is being caused by the effects of climate change, including extreme heat and low rainfall,” he said.
“Severe drought conditions, in turn, exacerbate the risk of wildfires and ecosystem destruction, increasing stress on communities and our landscapes.”
The western United States is suffering from a drought that is now in its 23rd year, the worst episode in more than 1,000 years.
This drought has parched parts of the country and left it vulnerable to hotter, faster, and more destructive wildfires.
Communities fed by the Colorado River, including Los Angeles, have been ordered to conserve water, with unpopular restrictions on outdoor irrigation.
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