Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
toggle caption Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Hotter temperatures are leading to emptier reservoirs across the West, like Lake Oroville in Northern California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
By almost every measure, the drought in the Western U.S. is already one for the record books.
Almost half the country s population is facing dry conditions. Soils are parched. Mountain snowpacks produce less water. Wildfire risk is already extreme. The nation s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, is headed to its lowest level since it was first filled in the 1930s.
The past year has been the driest or second driest in most Southwestern states since record keeping began in 1895. Farms and cities have begun imposing water restrictions, but Western states are facing a threat that goes deeper than a single bad year. The hotter climate is shrinking water supplies, no matter what the weather brings.
The Drought In The Western U.S. Is Getting Bad. Climate Change Is Making It Worse
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
By almost every measure, the drought in the Western U.S. is already one for the record books.
Almost half the country s population is facing dry conditions. Soils are parched. Mountain snowpacks produce less water. Wildfire risk is already extreme. The nation s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, is headed to its lowest level since it was first filled in the 1930s.
The past year has been the driest or second driest in most Southwestern states since record keeping began in 1895. Farms and cities have begun imposing water restrictions, but Western states are facing a threat that goes deeper than a single bad year. The hotter climate is shrinking water supplies, no matter what the weather brings.
As more and more people move to the suburbs blossoming in the Phoenix metro area, local water officials are increasingly concerned about the region's ability to keep up with demand.
Hoover Dam is now just 37 percent full, and is headed for a first-ever official water shortage and continues to sink toward its lowest level since it was filled.
Andrew and Sarah Ogilvie have been running the Ogilvie Cattle Company for five years in Benson, raising Angus cattle on more than 200 acres along the San Pedro River.