The West accepts its drought-ridden future, slashes water use

Out West, the future is dry.

Amid an unprecedented 19-year drought in the expansive Colorado River Basin — which supplies water to 40 million Americans — seven Western states have acknowledged that the 21st century will only grow drier as temperatures continue to rise. And that means less water in the 1,450-mile Colorado River. On Tuesday, water managers from states including California, Utah, and New Mexico announced a drought plan (formally called a Drought Contingency Plan), which cuts their water use for the next seven years — until an even more austere plan must be adopted.

Already, the drought has left water levels at Lake Mead — the nearly 250-square-mile reservoir that's held back by the formidable Hoover Dam — at their lowest levels in half a century. The water shortage has left telltale, white mineral "bathtub rings" around the basin, well over 100 feet high.  Read more...

More about Science, Global Warming, Drought, Climate Change, and Colorado River

from Mashable https://ift.tt/2uhMzky