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Federal officials said Tuesday they will ease water cuts for Western states reliant on the Colorado River next year thanks to a slightly improved outlook, but long-term challenges remain.
Kim Mitchell, senior water policy adviser at Western Resource Advocates, a Phoenix-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting water and land in the West, regarding the brief relief that this past winter’s precipitation brought to Lake Powell and Lake Mead of the Colorado River, which are still only at about 39 and 33 percents full, respectively. Federal officials are expected to ease water cuts for 2024 due to the slight improvement of the river’s health, but experts are still concerned about the impacts of a drying future. (Associated Press — Aug. 14, 2023)
The U.S. government in 2021 announced cuts that hit Arizona particularly hard. Last year, those cuts grew more severe thanks to continued drought, poor precipitation and less runoff from the river’s Rocky Mountains source.
Federal officials this week are expected to ease water cuts for Western states reliant on the Colorado River next year.
Federal officials said Tuesday they will ease water cuts for Western states reliant on the Colorado River next year thanks to a slightly improved outlook, but long-term challenges remain.