Arizona, California and Nevada are expecting the Trump administration to impose significant cuts to their water usage as Colorado River levels drop to historic lows.
Federal officials announced the first steps in their plan to manage Colorado River water use on Friday. The initial framework suggests that the three Lower Basin states will be asked to cut up to 1.5 million acre feet of water per year for the next two years — a significant reduction in their water consumption.
The country’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Powell, which sits between Utah and Arizona, and Lake Mead, which spans Arizona and Nevada, hit their lowest combined water levels on record earlier in July. Both are fed by the Colorado River. If levels drop much lower in Lake Powell, the Glen Canyon Dam will no longer be able to sustain the hydroelectric power plant that feeds electricity across much of the West.