US West prepares for possible 1st water shortage declaration

The man-made lakes that store water supplying millions of people in the U.S. West and Mexico are projected to shrink to historic lows in the coming months, dropping to levels that could trigger the federal government’s first-ever official shortage declaration and prompt cuts in Arizona and Nevada.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released 24-month projections this week forecasting that less Colorado River water will cascade down from the Rocky Mountains through Lake Powell and Lake Mead and into the arid deserts of the U.S. Southwest and the Gulf of California. Water levels in the two lakes are expected to plummet low enough for the agency to declare an official shortage for the first time, threatening the supply of Colorado River water that growing cities and farms rely on.

I don't think many of *us* will be surprised by this.
I wonder how many Vegas / Hollywood etc sheeple understand whats going on.

using more water than nature is providing.
if I were gov of Cali I'd be encouraging emigration. shoo.

Time for studies to show up about salt water conversion plants !!😊

There's plenty of water, just not where people live. The Great Lakes for example. Over time, I have no doubt, people will MOVE if they can't drink.

See, problem solved. No need to worry. We can all go back to worrying about how longs it's been since Kamala Harris hasn't been to the border, or held a press conference. For those of you who get your news from FOX. LOL!

a reply to: ElGoobero

Yeah maybe less to do with 'climate change" and more to do with supporting millions of people with wasteful habits and companies in a desert.

But I don't know much, I'm not a scientist.

originally posted by: Iconic
a reply to: ElGoobero

Yeah maybe less to do with 'climate change" and more to do with supporting millions of people with wasteful habits and companies in a desert.

But I don't know much, I'm not a scientist.

You're not wrong.... I would just add that they have pretty bad agricultural practices. But that's something the whole nation benefits on, the year round farming there. They take water from snow melt up north and channel it down south.

This is really about a single family and there death grip on most of the water in California. Thanks Brown.

Here's a thought to fallow on, "Why is it that Nuts and Wine grapes are grown in the same areas of California where that isn't any readily access to water?"

Answer that and you'll see that the "Water Wars" never really ended.

a reply to: Guyfriday

Answer that and you'll see that the "Water Wars" never really ended.

Oil will go out of style soon.

Water will probably be next. If we have renewable cheap energy, water won't be much of an issue for developed nations because of desalination... But a different story for the third world.

a reply to: ElGoobero

I live in Vegas and water is a concern for most...there are also water use regulations on normal years anyway. I can't speak for Arizona as I don't live there but Vegas for sure always has water concerns.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: Guyfriday

Answer that and you'll see that the "Water Wars" never really ended.

Oil will go out of style soon.

Water will probably be next. If we have renewable cheap energy, water won't be much of an issue for developed nations because of desalination... But a different story for the third world.

Bush said that water would be the next oil, as they bought up a huge supply in South America can't remember it was the largest aquifer but something along those lines.

"His land rests atop one of the largest freshwater aquifers in the world: Acuifero Guarani, by name."
5minforecast.com...

originally posted by: MiddleInsite
There's plenty of water, just not where people live. The Great Lakes for example. Over time, I have no doubt, people will MOVE if they can't drink.

See, problem solved. No need to worry. We can all go back to worrying about how longs it's been since Kamala Harris hasn't been to the border, or held a press conference. For those of you who get your news from FOX. LOL!

Wow, what a sick burn. I hope everybody is sufficiently rebuked by that sick burn. Drop in a mud pit thread if you're feeling froggy.

Also, no, it isn't just a matter of moving. The SW has already had impacts on the northern states, from both water and energy consumption. Engineering can bring them resources, but it's still a strain on the total ecosystem. It's how we use the resources that's the problem.

I live east coast, and I won't be even a little surprised when they start building a pipeline to move our water west.

When they propose draining the aquifers over here to give them free water to waste, I'll be mad.

Too many humans, not enough brains to go around.

a reply to: a325nt

You do realize those places you assume waste water probably waste less than those where water is plentiful right?

a reply to: ElGoobero

Some people put out a projection, with no reasoning or evidence to support said projection.

Every one of us are just as qualified to project future water levels.

Here's my projection.... In 6 months, water levels will be different than what they are today.

There you have it! The projection is has a 98% accuracy rating too.

Where's my $50,000 consulting fee?

a reply to: ElGoobero

I guess people aren’t scared enough of killer covid and killer cops and killer white supremacists and killer carbon dioxide and too many killer cows and killer spaceships and killer domestic terrorists and the killer climate and killer poor people from Mexico and Guatemala and Bolivia and Peru and Somali, so they need to get us freaked out about water now.

a reply to: KansasGirl

I live in Vegas and if it were going to be any issue that serious they'd already be talking about it and I'd hear people I know talking about it. You see we don't really get any natural disaster stuff there so a severe drought and fires get talked up to the moon...its the best we got lol...

How come desalination plants aren't a thing?

Costs?
Inefficient?

a reply to: JinMI

Yes. Especially when it comes to agriculture.

But a lot of the "west" isn't very near the ocean.

a reply to: Phage
Really wish they'd hurry up and sort that weather modification already

originally posted by: RickyD
a reply to: a325nt

You do realize those places you assume waste water probably waste less than those where water is plentiful right?

I've been out west.
They spray water at the homeless depot- I mean, the bus stop.
They water crops at noon in full sun.

They don't know how water works, best I can figure.

They just like with bad policy, they can marinate in the problems they made for themselves.

a reply to: a325nt

Funny i havent seen any of that unless there was something that need to be cleaned. Hell the carpet cleaning company that does all the units in my building for new tenents reuses that water all day. In fact there is actually a lot of regulations and laws about water use in Nevada and they do carry real fines that they don't mind handing out. What do they have where you live in regards to conservation. I'm currently here in FL and they spray hella water there...no regulations or laws to push conservation either...