Arizona and Nevada Face First-Ever Mandatory Water Cuts from the Colorado River

[jpak]

https://weather.com/news/news/2019-08-19-arizona-nevada-face-first-mandatory-water-cuts-from-colorado-river

Arizona and Nevada are facing the first-ever mandatory cuts in the amount of water they can take from the Colorado River next year.

The two states are among seven that have agreed to drought contingency plans for the river system that serves about 40 million people and 6,300 square miles of farmland from Wyoming to Southern California.

The cuts are triggered by water levels expected in Lake Mead, a giant reservoir on the river at the Arizona-Nevada border. On Jan. 1, Lake Mead's level is projected to be 1,089.4 feet, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said late last week. That's just below the drought contingency plan threshold of 1,090 feet, and it means cuts for Arizona and Nevada.

For Arizona, the cut is about 7% of its annual allotment from the Colorado River, according to the Colorado Sun.

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[in2herbs]

1. It's time to talk desalinization, regardless of the cost. California is building seventeen

new desalination plants after years of severe drought. And it's still controversial. ... The only way desalination can be a good option to solving the water crisis is if renewable energy is used, costs are lowered, and environmental protections are put in place for marine life too.

Is this something that was included in AOC's Green New Deal??

[Fresh_Start]

3. Honestly, the first discussion should be conservation, not desalination

There needs to be mandatory water usage restrictions. There needs to be smart water use in farming including eliminating water hog crops in drought areas. I'm pro-desalination but its not a solution unless we are all smarter with water usage.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. As per our Water District here in the Vegas Valley,

we will not see any reduction in usage for calendar year 2020. There is a issue with the Irrigation along the Nevada,Arizona and California border area that needs to be addressed.

At present time,Lawn Irrigation is not allowed on Sunday's in our Water District which is most of Clark County. Sundays are the heavy use day for all the Hotels. And with the removal of Lawns at 3 bucks a foot,the water district is able to add the thousands of new Homes to their service area at the same usage volume.