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At least two million acre-feet of water need to be conserved in 2023 to keep Lake Mead and Lake Powell operational. This number is likely an underestimate and already accounts for voluntary water use cuts by the Gila River Indian Community, a potential cut by the state of California, and the federal government's potential plan to charge the Lower Basin states for water lost to evaporation and transit.
According to Arizona Republic columnist Joanna Allhands, incentivized voluntary cuts by states and tribes are not going to be nearly enough to meet the demand for water conservation. If water levels continue to drop at the same rates, there will soon be too little water to pass through the dams to supply drinking water, irrigation for food production, and hydropower to the 40 million people that rely on it.
In order to save anywhere near two million acre-feet, farmers will have to agree to cut water use. Agriculture is the biggest use of water across the Colorado River Basin, but farmers have continually resisted water conservation options, and the federal government has not implemented any mandatory cuts.
In August, the Bureau of Reclamation stepped back from a promise to force cuts if states couldn’t agree on them. Some speculate that the Bureau of Reclamation could announce mandatory cuts in December if there still aren't enough voluntary cuts, but 2023 is quickly approaching and so far there is no plan.
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We commonly say that our scientific and conservation endeavors are based on a firm foundation of science. Well, that’s fine. But all of that is for naught, unless you are working with the community members.”
