US States Will Get Less Water in Dry Weather
2022-08-18
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1The American states of Arizona and Nevada will again face cuts in the amount of water they can draw from the Colorado River.
2Federal officials announced the cuts this week as the western states are experiencing extremely dry weather conditions.
3The cuts planned for next year will force states to decide where and how to reduce water usage.
4The decision will put more pressure on the states with a growing population in a hotter, drier future.
5"We are taking steps to protect the 40 million people who depend on the Colorado River for their lives and livelihoods," said Camille Touton.
6She leads the U.S Bureau of Reclamation which oversees water policy for the river.
7The Colorado River provides water across seven American states and Mexico.
8Its water helps support an agricultural industry valued at $15 billion a year.
9The federal estimates of the water levels will also determine how much states and cities can draw for their water supply.
10In addition to those cuts, the Bureau of Reclamation said Tuesday that states had missed a deadline to propose at least 15 percent more cuts needed to keep the water levels at the lakes, or reservoirs, from dropping even more.
11For example, officials have predicted that water levels at Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir, will drop severely.
12The lake is currently less than a quarter full.
13"The states collectively have not identified and adopted specific actions of sufficient magnitude that would stabilize the system," Touton said.
14In Arizona, the state placed all its water reduction last year on the agricultural industry.
15Now, officials will have to decide whether to spread additional pain to growing cities that depend on the river.
16The cuts are not expected to have a considerable effect on Nevada.
17It already has one of the strongest water conservation policies in the West.
18The cut is planned for next year only.
19But, University of Oxford researcher Kevin Wheeler said the science shows it will likely remain for much longer.
20"It's pretty clear that these reductions just have to stay in place until the drought has ended or we realize they actually have to get worse and the cuts have to get deeper."
21The cuts are based on a plan the seven states and Mexico signed in 2019 to help maintain reservoir levels.
22Under that plan, the amount of water set aside for states depends on the water levels at Lake Mead.
23Last year, the lake fell low enough for the U.S. government to declare a first-ever water shortage in the area.
24The declaration forced required cuts for Arizona and Nevada as well as Mexico in 2022.
25Officials expect the falling lake levels to bring additional cuts to Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico next year.
26Other states with higher claims to water rights are not expected to see cuts.
27Reservoir levels have been falling for years - and faster than experts predicted - after 22 years of dry weather.
28Climate change and overuse of the river have worsened the situation.
29Hot temperatures and less snow have reduced the amount of water flowing from the Rocky Mountains, where the river starts to wind its way 2,334 kilometers into the Gulf of Mexico.
30Already, officials have held back millions of cubic meters of water in Lake Powell.
31It is the other large Colorado River reservoir sitting upstream from Lake Mead along the Arizona-Utah border.
32Water from the lake runs through Glen Canyon Dam, which produces enough electricity to power between 1 million and 1.5 million homes each year.
33As water levels at Lake Powell reached levels low enough to threaten water-based power production, federal officials said they would hold back an additional 592 million cubic meters of water to ensure the dam could still produce energy.
34That water would normally flow to Lake Mead.
35Under the new reductions, Arizona will lose slightly more water than it did this year, when 18 percent of its supply was cut.
36In 2023, it will lose an additional 3 percent.
37Nevada will lose about 8 percent of its supply. Last year, Nevada lost 7 percent.
38Mexico will lose 7 percent of the amount of water it receives each year from the river.
39Last year, it lost about 5 percent.
40The water is a lifeline for northern desert cities including Tijuana and a large farm industry in the Mexicali Valley, just south of the border from California's Imperial Valley.
41I'm Caty Weaver.
1The American states of Arizona and Nevada will again face cuts in the amount of water they can draw from the Colorado River. Federal officials announced the cuts this week as the western states are experiencing extremely dry weather conditions. 2The cuts planned for next year will force states to decide where and how to reduce water usage. The decision will put more pressure on the states with a growing population in a hotter, drier future. 3"We are taking steps to protect the 40 million people who depend on the Colorado River for their lives and livelihoods," said Camille Touton. She leads the U.S Bureau of Reclamation which oversees water policy for the river. 4The Colorado River provides water across seven American states and Mexico. Its water helps support an agricultural industry valued at $15 billion a year. The federal estimates of the water levels will also determine how much states and cities can draw for their water supply. 5In addition to those cuts, the Bureau of Reclamation said Tuesday that states had missed a deadline to propose at least 15 percent more cuts needed to keep the water levels at the lakes, or reservoirs, from dropping even more. 6For example, officials have predicted that water levels at Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir, will drop severely. The lake is currently less than a quarter full. 7"The states collectively have not identified and adopted specific actions of sufficient magnitude that would stabilize the system," Touton said. 8In Arizona, the state placed all its water reduction last year on the agricultural industry. Now, officials will have to decide whether to spread additional pain to growing cities that depend on the river. The cuts are not expected to have a considerable effect on Nevada. It already has one of the strongest water conservation policies in the West. 9The cut is planned for next year only. But, University of Oxford researcher Kevin Wheeler said the science shows it will likely remain for much longer. 10"It's pretty clear that these reductions just have to stay in place until the drought has ended or we realize they actually have to get worse and the cuts have to get deeper." 11The cuts are based on a plan the seven states and Mexico signed in 2019 to help maintain reservoir levels. Under that plan, the amount of water set aside for states depends on the water levels at Lake Mead. 12Last year, the lake fell low enough for the U.S. government to declare a first-ever water shortage in the area. The declaration forced required cuts for Arizona and Nevada as well as Mexico in 2022. 13Officials expect the falling lake levels to bring additional cuts to Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico next year. Other states with higher claims to water rights are not expected to see cuts. 14Reservoir levels have been falling for years - and faster than experts predicted - after 22 years of dry weather. Climate change and overuse of the river have worsened the situation. 15Hot temperatures and less snow have reduced the amount of water flowing from the Rocky Mountains, where the river starts to wind its way 2,334 kilometers into the Gulf of Mexico. 16Already, officials have held back millions of cubic meters of water in Lake Powell. It is the other large Colorado River reservoir sitting upstream from Lake Mead along the Arizona-Utah border. Water from the lake runs through Glen Canyon Dam, which produces enough electricity to power between 1 million and 1.5 million homes each year. 17As water levels at Lake Powell reached levels low enough to threaten water-based power production, federal officials said they would hold back an additional 592 million cubic meters of water to ensure the dam could still produce energy. That water would normally flow to Lake Mead. 18Under the new reductions, Arizona will lose slightly more water than it did this year, when 18 percent of its supply was cut. In 2023, it will lose an additional 3 percent. Nevada will lose about 8 percent of its supply. Last year, Nevada lost 7 percent. 19Mexico will lose 7 percent of the amount of water it receives each year from the river. Last year, it lost about 5 percent. The water is a lifeline for northern desert cities including Tijuana and a large farm industry in the Mexicali Valley, just south of the border from California's Imperial Valley. 20I'm Caty Weaver. 21The Associated Press reported this story. Hai Do adapted the story for Learning English. 22___________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24determine - v. to officially decide something because of evidence or facts 25adopt - v. to formally accept or approve something 26sufficient - adj. having as much as needed 27magnitude - n. the size, importance, or extent of something 28stabilize - v. to make something steady 29maintain - v. to continue without changing