Feds demands more water cuts as Colorado River hits dire low

[pixy0stix]

U.S. demands more water cuts as Colorado River hits dire lows - (gift link) wapo.st/3SNR3cR

As the historic drought in the U.S. Southwest pushes the nation’s largest reservoirs to record lows, the Biden administration Tuesday announced that water shortages along the Colorado River had passed a threshold for the first time that will require unprecedented cuts for states including Arizona and Nevada.

The Colorado River’s decline has drained three-quarters of the water from the nation’s largest reservoirs, and falling closer than ever to levels where hydroelectric dams can’t generate power and millions of people lose access to drinking water and irrigation supplies across seven states.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation declared that the Lower Colorado River Basin has reached what’s called a “Tier 2” shortage, requiring cuts in water use that will diminish what Arizona gets by 21 percent, Nevada by 8 percent and the country of Mexico by 7 percent.

[pixy0stix]

Related - Poll: Many in US doubt their own impact on climate - www.9news.com/article/news/state/colorado-climate/poll-personal-climate-impact/507-811fba31-11f8-4cce-b24d-7bc0736661f4

Upshot of the article is that people think the government should step in. Which is what is happening in the article above, and you can see just how much of an impact it's going to have on the daily lives of the people and agriculture in that region. I've been saying a while now that yes, the government is going to have to step in but regular people are going to be very shocked by just how much that impacts their every day lives top to bottom.

[noodleoo]

I agree with the second article: the government needs to step in because depending on individuals changing their behavior is hopeless. We are in a severe drought in my area too (New England). My town specifically has had a full outdoor water ban since June. The number of people complaining about their dead lawns is insane. Also the number of green lawns of people who are watering anyway and just paying the fine (if they are even enforcing it, who knows) is high. No one thinks long term, they just want what they want NOW, consequences be damned.

I'm tired of it. I'm so happy the IRA passed. Without it, we're screwed. Even with it, we are probably still screwed.

ETA: I think the biggest thing the government can do it help with financial incentives to drive individuals towards greener choices.  Which is why the IRA is great: rebates that make EV's costs on par with gas vehicles, subsidies to make solar panels more affordable and make green energy costs on par with dirty sources.  The only way people will make better choices is if it hits them in a wallet.

[suburbanzookeeper]

I serve for a local elected government advisory board in SoCal in a red/purple area. Outside of traffic, everyone is complaining about being asked to cut back on water usage when it comes to bringing more developments to the area (all new residential is being planned with non-grass lawns). They don't care that it's been 95+ degrees all summer, they want to be able to water their ornamental laws every day and aren't willing to make changes. Someone actually brought up the Trump toilet argument at our last meeting.

[Susie]

Meanwhile in Utah, St. George wants to pipe in water from the Colorado River?  smdh

www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/08/15/st-george-utah-water-crisis/

[pixy0stix]

Aug 16, 2022 13:33:20 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

I agree with the second article: the government needs to step in because depending on individuals changing their behavior is hopeless. We are in a severe drought in my area too (New England). My town specifically has had a full outdoor water ban since June. The number of people complaining about their dead lawns is insane. Also the number of green lawns of people who are watering anyway and just paying the fine (if they are even enforcing it, who knows) is high. No one thinks long term, they just want what they want NOW, consequences be damned.

I'm tired of it. I'm so happy the IRA passed. Without it, we're screwed. Even with it, we are probably still screwed.

ETA: I think the biggest thing the government can do it help with financial incentives to drive individuals towards greener choices.  Which is why the IRA is great: rebates that make EV's costs on par with gas vehicles, subsidies to make solar panels more affordable and make green energy costs on par with dirty sources.  The only way people will make better choices is if it hits them in a wallet.

Oh, it's going to hit them in the wallet alright. I wonder what people think is going to be cut back when they say that industrial pollution should be regulated. Do they realize that effects the production of every single item in their home, consumable and non?

ETA: It'll be like the covid shortages plus the current inflation times I don't even know what. People are complaining now, wait till the real deal happens.

[msmerymac]

Aug 16, 2022 13:42:58 GMT -5 Susie said:

Meanwhile in Utah, St. George wants to pipe in water from the Colorado River?  smdh

www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/08/15/st-george-utah-water-crisis/

Join the club, folks. 

Honestly, Vegas should never have existed in the incarnation it does now. The Spring Preserve there is great, and truly eye opening, about desert wildlife and sustainability. The aquafer that supplies Vegas dropped below the surface (the "springs" the preserve is named for) in the 1950s due to water usage. Should have been a sign, huh? 

My H often waxes about how we left Los Angeles at the right time too, because water will become even more of an issue - and we had the type of restrictions when we were there that were like, "don't empty and refill your pool this summer, don't wash your car in the driveway from 9 AM to 5 PM." Like, really simple stuff. It will get harder. 

[Deleted]

Access to water is some major national-security level shit.

[UMaineTeach]

Aug 16, 2022 14:20:53 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

My H often waxes about how we left Los Angeles at the right time too, because water will become even more of an issue - and we had the type of restrictions when we were there that were like, "don't empty and refill your pool this summer, don't wash your car in the driveway from 9 AM to 5 PM." Like, really simple stuff. It will get harder. 

I don’t know the rules of having a pool, but I do know that the guy who drives the pool filling truck has gone by the house multiple times a day all summer. (And this isn’t even a prime pool region)

I can’t even begin to estimate how many gallons are in that tank. It’s a tanker as long as a regular semi truck. He’s getting it from a private well, but the well is drilled in town. So “town” water, but not. That well also supports a food manufacturing plant.

Apparently no one (but me?) is worried about it going dry, but I see some pretty dead lawns around and you can see a difference in rivers and lakes from previous years.

So scary for the west and everyone who relies on food and products from the west. It’s far beyond time for government to step in. People aren’t going to change on their own. Climate science must be one of the most frustrating areas of study. They have been screaming for the last 60+ years.

[msmerymac]

The Biden administration has proposed cutting water allotments:

www.nytimes.com/2023/04/11/climate/colorado-river-water-cuts-drought.html?unlocked_article_code=1cDduVVZWRBNWdu71PLld3LXErFf10kpP9So-5bKF7chvsJ2JgWoKSz0atxNa--UMnXZbBrwNXzIkpvwEzbVFlALZM58sqi58CcFzRIW2RrdCWGB7zCq5HQfWCYE5BPo-2VQxiAHpIC6qDxotD8NgcIU3Xu1NGKqnPyTa8CmrpwtsEBizfe3ML-8b34wU7amdwtX8qINT3CfVROz62wG66-Q2EsnSEsVfX8ZNSzSTYTDXWEfZEQuOEp0sh-k3YAlUpMgLxX6tefAdreQvZOxKzcxltj3UxbLgbnXA9QgOIyY5GJk7d8o2GXK5P83kebRpNlVyeiAtfUyqQxcOgHps4vexrL4Rr6nofor&smid=url-share

(gift link)

[pixy0stix]

Huh, I didn't realize that the Feds could only regulate water cuts to 3 states - "The federal government has the ability to impose cuts only on the lower-basin states that rely on water released from Lake Mead and Lake Powell. As a result, the draft analysis is focused on how to distribute cuts among those three states."

CA should have taken the deal the other 6 states were handing it when it had the chance.

[msmerymac]

Apr 12, 2023 9:02:22 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Huh, I didn't realize that the Feds could only regulate water cuts to 3 states - "The federal government has the ability to impose cuts only on the lower-basin states that rely on water released from Lake Mead and Lake Powell. As a result, the draft analysis is focused on how to distribute cuts among those three states."

CA should have taken the deal the other 6 states were handing it when it had the chance.

It also looks like if Lake Mead hit deadpool status, not only will it fail to power the Hoover Dam, but the Colorado River will basically cease moving, meaning no water for lower basin states anyway. 

[pixy0stix]

Apr 12, 2023 10:04:31 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Apr 12, 2023 9:02:22 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Huh, I didn't realize that the Feds could only regulate water cuts to 3 states - "The federal government has the ability to impose cuts only on the lower-basin states that rely on water released from Lake Mead and Lake Powell. As a result, the draft analysis is focused on how to distribute cuts among those three states."

CA should have taken the deal the other 6 states were handing it when it had the chance.

It also looks like if Lake Mead hit deadpool status, not only will it fail to power the Hoover Dam, but the Colorado River will basically cease moving, meaning no water for lower basin states anyway. 

Yes, hence "dead pool". But yeah, I'm 95% certain that people think that won't ever happen.