The American West is Running Out of Water
- Jonas Towle
- Sep 5, 2022
- 2 min read
In recent months, lakes and rivers providing water and electricity to tens of millions of Americans have been reaching critically low levels.
What's happening?
The western United States has been in a continuous state of drought for the last 22 years, officially classifying it as a mega-drought. This has had disastrous effects on water sources, including Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the United State's largest reservoirs. This not only affects the water supply for farmers and their crops, but also millions of Americans in cities including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Albuquerque and Phoenix. It also affects dams that are powered by reservoirs and rivers, whose outputs are diminished by the weakened flow of water.
Why is it happening?
This current drought, the worst in 1,200 years, has meant lakes and rivers of the region are unable to replenish themselves. And of course, climate change. Studies have shown that although a drought likely would have happened during this time frame regardless, human activity is responsible for making it 42% more severe than it would have been. Not to mention the fact that millions of Americans have flocked to desert cities in recent years, straining already struggling water sources.
What now?
Western states have been looking for ways to decrease their water use after the federal government recently required them to decrease their usage by 15%. New laws in Nevada requires cities such as Las Vegas to remove their grass lawns, seeking to decrease the regions water usage by up to 10%. Many in the western US have proposed diverting freshwater from the Mississippi or the Great Lakes (though the idea has proved controversial). Another idea floated around to provide more water to the region is through desalination plants. These are facilities that can turn ocean water into freshwater, but they come with a high price tag and lots of waste. Still, states such as California and Texas are building them, and more are considering it. Countries such as Saudi Arabia and Oman are already wholly independent on such water sources, and the American West may find themselves with no other choice.
Sources:
Comments