Wednesday, September 5, 2018

This could very well become a major problem


The topic of this article is quite concerning.

At water-starved Lake Mead and Lake Powell, 'the crisis is already real,' scientists say
"The Colorado River basin, which stretches from Wyoming to Mexico, has been drying out during what scientists say is one of the driest 19-year periods in the past 1,200 years. The river has long been over-allocated, with the demands of farms and cities exceeding the available water supply, and the strains are being compounded by growing population, drought and climate change.

The scientists, who say their group presents an "independent, scientific voice for the future of the Colorado River," detailed how much Lake Powell has gone down in less than two decades. By the end of this year, Powell's levels are projected to have dropped 94 feet below where the reservoir stood in 2000, when it was nearly full."

So, to sum up, more water is coming out of the Mead-Powell reservoir system than is going in. I apologize for re-stating the obvious. The result of the process is dropping water levels.  When the lakes reach a designated level, then a water shortage is declared and the per-state allocations are reduced.

No state wants that.  But all the states may have to accept that.  So why is it happening?
"Scientists have found that higher temperatures have contributed significantly to reductions in the river's flow since 2000. They call it a "temperature-dominated drought." In one recent study, scientists projected that warming will likely cause the river’s flow to decrease by 35 percent or more this century."
Ah yes.  Climate change.

We're going to keep feeling it, more and more. This could get quite real.



No comments: