Historic water shortage declared for Colorado River

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency that oversees Colorado River operations, declared a “Tier 1” water shortage at Lake Mead on the Colorado River, underscoring the severity of the deepening drought and climate crisis across the West. This is the first time in the river’s history that a Tier 1 shortage has been declared.  

The declaration will result in reduced water deliveries from the Colorado River to Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico, and will trigger Drought Contingency Plans throughout the Lower Basin. The shortage conditions from the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan will go into effect starting in January 2022, but emergency actions in the Colorado Basin are already underway, as three reservoirs – Flaming Gorge in Wyoming, Blue Mesa in Colorado, and Navajo Reservoir in Colorado/New Mexico – are already releasing water to help slow the rapid decline of water levels in Lake Powell.