Colorado River artificial lake pulls warning US west may face first water shortage announcement

　　China News Service, April 19th. According to a report by "Central News Agency" on the 18th, the water levels of two artificial lakes that store water for millions of people in the western United States and Mexico are expected to drop to historical lows in the next few months, which may lead to The US federal government will issue a water shortage announcement for the first time and urge Arizona and Nevada to restrict water.

　　The US Bureau of Reclamation announced this week its water regime forecast for the next 24 months, predicting that the flow of the Colorado River will decline.

　　The river flows down from the Rocky Mountains, passes through Lake Powell and Lake Mead, and enters the dry desert of the American Southwest and the Gulf of California.

　　It is expected that the water level of Bauer Reservoir and Lake Mead will fall to a level sufficient for the Bureau of Reclamation to officially announce a water shortage for the first time.

　　The report pointed out that climate change has reduced the amount of snow entering the Colorado River and its tributaries; rising temperatures have also made the soil more thirsty and aggravated the evaporation of river water flowing through arid regions in the western United States.

　　The model of the Bureau of Reclamation predicts that the water level of Lake Mead will drop below 328 meters for the first time in June 2021.

According to an agreement reached by the seven states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) that rely on the water of the Colorado River, this level of water will prompt the authorities to declare water shortages.

　　However, the water regime forecast in April has no binding effect.

　　Federal officials regularly issue long-term forecasts and use the results released in August each year to determine how to distribute the river's water.

If the predicted value does not improve by that time, the Bureau of Reclamation will announce a level 1 water shortage and implement water restrictions in January 2022.

　　However, the water resources authorities said that if the drought continues as expected, they are confident that through water conservation and alternative water sources and other preparatory measures, they can overcome the difficulties of water restriction.