Mega Drought in the American Southwest

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Faced with an historic drought, California cities have enacted unprecedented water usage restrictions on residents. Calls for conservation dot billboards and emergency notification signs on freeways, the dire warnings a steady reminder to save water. But a report from the Public Policy of California shares that urban use only accounts for 10% of all the states water. Around 40% is used to grow food, and food for our food like cattle. The remaining 50% is used for other environmental causes, like rivers and lakes. Professor Benjamin L Ruddell, Ph.D. studies urban planning and water policy and joined 5 Live to discuss where the water is going.

 

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A showdown over Colorado River water is setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle

The federal government wanted seven western states that rely on the river to decide how to cut up to 30% of its water allocation. But there's one holdout: California.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/colorado-river-water-usage-sets-stage-for-legal-battle/1476445

 

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What might cuts to dwindling Colorado River mean for states?

The Biden administration floated two ideas this week for how Western states and Native American tribes could reduce their water use from the dwindling Colorado River. In recent years, an imbalance between the river’s flows and how much water users are promised has forced federal officials to...

apnews.com

The 1,450-mile (2,334-kilometer) river is a lifeline for seven U.S. states, dozens of Native American tribes, and two states in Mexico. It irrigates nearly 5.5 million acres (about 2.2 million hectares) of farmland in the U.S. and Mexico and generates hydroelectric power used across the West. In recent decades, drought, climate change and an imbalance between the river’s flows and how much water users are promised

Tuesday’s analysis from the Interior Department considers two ways to force cuts in the water supply for Arizona, Nevada and California: use the existing water priority system or the same percentage across the board. California and some tribes with senior rights to water benefit more under the first option. Arizona and Nevada, largely with junior rights, don’t feel as much pain under the second. Federal officials haven’t taken a stance.

 

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States will be required to conserve 3 million-acre-feet of water through 2026.

States dependent on Colorado River required to conserve unprecedented amount of water in deal

The Biden administration has reached a landmark deal with states dependent on the Colorado River to conserve water amid the decadeslong drought.

abcnews.go.com

The three Colorado River lower basin states -- California, Nevada and Arizona -- will be required to conserve an unprecedented 3 million-acre-feet of water through 2026, the White House announced in a press release Monday.

 

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Pay attention to the shifting of the poles. Scientists have predicted that with the pole shifts we will get different weather patterns in the US leading to the formation of massive deserts across much of the US. But, it also mean other parts of the world that are arid today may see rainfall and vegetation growth.

 

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It's been a pretty wet spring and summer so far in my region.

 

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[Creeper]

Wish we could send some of the fucking rain we get everyday now.

I have long believed we should build a series of canals and waterways across the country to connect the regions so we can divert excess water in one region to another region where water is scarce. I know it would be incredibly expensive but it makes more sense that spending $81 trillion on climate change. After all, droughts and floods are normal and we see them every year. A water diversion system would get good use - and we could even building some power generation capabilities for when we divert massive amounts of water through the system.

 

[Creeper]

Hubris is not the right word. The Colorado River has been flowing for thousands of years. The fact that man built a damn decades ago and now the river flow has changed is not hubris. We took advantage of a situation and things change.

What this is a reminder that the earth does not remain static forever. The continents are still moving. The climate shifts and the surface of the earth changes accordingly. I read a study about the movement of the magnetic poles and the author predicted the continental US could become a massive desert, like the Sahara, due to the polar shift. In the meantime, the Sahara could become more temperate and ideal for farming. Humanity has adapted throughout our history and we must continue to do so.