Some US states and Mexico they will receive less water from the Colorado River to avoid a “catastrophic collapse” of the channelWashington officials said Tuesday, at a time of record drought.
“To avoid a catastrophic collapse of the Colorado River system and a future of uncertainty and conflict, water use in the basin must be reduced”
More than two decades of well-below-average rainfall has left the river, a vital waterway in the western United States, at critical levels, which experts say is due to changes in the natural drought cycle due to climate change.
Despite years of warnings, states served by the Colorado River have failed to reduce their demand for water sufficientlyso the federal government said Tuesday that it was imposing cuts.
“To avoid a catastrophic collapse of the Colorado River system and a future of uncertainty and conflict, water use in the basin must be reduced,” said Tanya Trujillo, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the Department of the Interior.
Arizona’s allocation of river water will drop 21% in 2023, while Nevada will get 8% less. The quota of the channel that reaches Mexico will be reduced by seven percent.
California, the largest user of the river’s water and the most populous in the United States, will not be affected next year.
the colorado river rises in the Rocky Mountains and winds through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, and northern Mexicowhere it empties into the Gulf of California.
It feeds mainly on the snowy peaks, whose snow melts slowly during the warmer months, which has been affected by drought and high temperatures.
JM
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