Post by Logan on May 11, 2016 4:10:41 GMT -6
Nevada prepared for more Lake Mead cuts without ‘drastic steps’
Lake Mead is expected to surpass its historic low after next Wednesday. By the end of June, it is expected to have dropped to its lowest level since the man-made reservoir was created by the completion of the Hoover Dam in 1935. And as the elevation drops, Nevada, Arizona and California are working out a new framework for acceptable reductions in water they receive.
While the federal agency charged with overseeing Western water management says it is unlikely that states will need to reduce water in 2017, the next year could present a bleaker picture.
Although estimates change with resource planning, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation says there is a 56 percent chance states will be asked to voluntarily reduce their lake allocations in 2018.
Such a scenario provides the backdrop as the three states at the Colorado River’s lower basin renegotiate what voluntary reductions in water supply they would accept to stave off declining Lake Mead elevations. Late last month, details of a tentative agreement emerged, with a significant development.
Read more: lasvegassun.com/news/2016/may/11/nevada-prepared-more-lake-mead-cuts-drastic-steps/
Lake Mead is expected to surpass its historic low after next Wednesday. By the end of June, it is expected to have dropped to its lowest level since the man-made reservoir was created by the completion of the Hoover Dam in 1935. And as the elevation drops, Nevada, Arizona and California are working out a new framework for acceptable reductions in water they receive.
While the federal agency charged with overseeing Western water management says it is unlikely that states will need to reduce water in 2017, the next year could present a bleaker picture.
Although estimates change with resource planning, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation says there is a 56 percent chance states will be asked to voluntarily reduce their lake allocations in 2018.
Such a scenario provides the backdrop as the three states at the Colorado River’s lower basin renegotiate what voluntary reductions in water supply they would accept to stave off declining Lake Mead elevations. Late last month, details of a tentative agreement emerged, with a significant development.
Read more: lasvegassun.com/news/2016/may/11/nevada-prepared-more-lake-mead-cuts-drastic-steps/