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Critically low levels in Lake Mead are prompting officials in Southern California and Arizona to get a head start on conserving water. Unprecedented water restrictions hit Southern California this week, following the state's driest spring ever, and some cities in Arizona also activated plans this week to save water.
"As we head further into summer, we will likely see historically low conditions at Lake Mead," Central Arizona Project Colorado River Programs Manager Vineetha Kartha said during a presentation Thursday, adding that the nation's largest reservoir—which serves most of Southern California as well as Central Arizona—is currently filled to about 26 percent of its capacity.
Kartha predicted a "Tier 2A" cut could go into effect in August, when the Bureau of Reclamation is scheduled to release its annual forecast for the Colorado River Basin. That would mean 80,000 fewer acre-feet of water for Arizona, which already lost 512,000-acre-feet under the "Tier 1" status beginning at the start of 2022.
The California cuts will affect residents in Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties. Officials there are asking residents to cut outdoor watering to twice a week, eight minutes per day—or 15 minutes if using a water-conserving nozzle. Officials in Southern California are also planning to levy fines of $2,000 per acre-foot of water to areas that fail to meet the state’s water savings goal.
In Arizona, local governments are focusing on encouraging voluntary water use reduction. The cities of Phoenix, Mesa, and Scottsdale are planning an intensive public education campaign to broaden awareness of the Valley’s shrinking water supply, in hopes of convincing people to stop using water outside.
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People still consider seed banking the best way to conserve these species that are at risk of climate change. But something that I think about is: We might make this collection and then, ten years later, we want to use these seeds for a reintroduction process. And the climate may be totally different than what it was at the time of collection.”
