The water level at Lake Mead reached a record low on Wednesday, forcing federal water managers to guide the level back above a crucial drought trigger point. Special interest groups are asking political leaders to work together to find ways to better manage water challenges in the West.
Nuestro Rio, is a group of concerned Latinos in the Southwest which advocates for the preservation of the Colorado River. Director of the group, Nicole Gonzalez Patterson, says the record low levels are indicative of the over-allocation of the Colorado River.
“It’s sort of like a check engine light. It’s a clear marker telling us that we need to make some really tough choices about 2016 and figure out what we’re going to be doing to address the Colorado River water shortage,” Patterson said. “It’s the first time this type of level has hit and it’s just a clear illustration of the over-allocation of the Colorado River.”
Another concerned group is Protect the Flows, a coalition of businesses that promote new water policies and technologies. Co-director Craig Mackey says receding water levels in the two major reservoirs on the system- lakes Powell and Mead- reflect the imbalance in supply versus demand.
“We have to come together as Basin states. We have to come together as citizens of the Basin, and we have to come together as local government, state government, federal government, and water managers,” Mackey said. “We need those people in a room acting collaboratively on conservation, on innovation, new technologies and on investments.”
The Bureau of Reclamation will release a 24 month report on water levels across the Colorado River system in August. The results of this report will determine if water allocation cuts will be made to states like Nevada and Arizona.