China News Service, July 27th. According to a report by Qiaobao.com, plagued by drought caused by climate change and increasing water demand, the water level of Lake Powell, the second largest reservoir in the United States, has dropped to the lowest level since the first water storage more than 50 years ago. Level.

　　According to CNN, citing data from the Bureau of Reclamation, as of the 25th, the water level of Lake Powell has dropped to about 3,554 feet, to 33% of the total capacity, which is lower than the record low level set in 2005.

　　This year, the loss of Lake Powell and nearby Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, has been astonishing.

According to reports, the two reservoirs in the Colorado River Basin provide critical drinking water and irrigation supplies to many places in the region, including rural farms, ranches, and indigenous communities. They also provide vital supplies for people living in seven western states and Mexico. More than 40 million people supply water.

Therefore, the reduction in water supply from these two reservoirs has a wide-ranging impact.

　　According to a study published by Geological Survey scientists in 2020, the flow of the Colorado River has dropped by an average of about 20% in the last century, and more than half of the drop in water level can be attributed to the increase in temperature throughout the basin.

　　John Fleck, director of the Water Resources Program at the University of New Mexico, said Lake Powell played an important role in the water crisis in the western region.

Fleck said: "The sinking of Lake Powell may be a more serious challenge."

　　As the reservoir's water level drops, more than 95% of the western United States is experiencing drought.

This is the largest drought that has occurred since the establishment of the national drought monitoring system.

More than 28% of the area is experiencing an abnormal drought, which is the most severe drought.

　　If it is predicted that the water level of Lake Powell may drop below 3,525 feet, as part of the Colorado River drought emergency plan in 2019, the Bureau of Reclamation can replenish Lake Powell from the upstream reservoir.

Such upstream reservoirs, especially the Blue Mesa Reservoir in southwestern Colorado, will begin emergency release of water in August.

　　If the next major study by the Bureau of Reclamation in August predicts that the water levels of Lake Powell and Lake Mead will fall more severely, it will trigger the first declaration of water shortages in the Colorado River.

This means that many communities will start drastically cutting water supplies next year.

　　Fleck said that although major cities may have been prepared for the current water shortage caused by drought, the rapidly warming climatic conditions may bring more challenges to emergency preparedness.

"Over time, major cities need to save more and more water," he said, "but climate change will not make this easier."