As the West endures another year of unrelenting drought, the Colorado River’s reservoirs have declined so low that major water cuts will be necessary next year to reduce risks of supplies reaching perilously low levels, a top federal water official said Tuesday. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton testified during a Senate committee hearing that protecting “critical levels” at the country’s largest reservoirs — Lake Mead and Lake Powell — will require much larger reductions in water deliveries.
“The challenges we are seeing today are unlike anything we have seen in our history,” Touton said. The Colorado River supplies water to nearly 40 million people in cities from Denver to Los Angeles and farmlands from the Rocky Mountains to the U.S./Mexico border. Roughly 80% of the river’s flow is used for agriculture.
“I’m not suggesting that farmers stop farming, but rather that they carefully consider crop selection and make the investments needed to optimize irrigation efficiency,” said John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which supplies the Las Vegas area. “By reducing their use of Colorado River water, agricultural entities are protecting their own interests.”
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