By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Colorado River crisis is threatening the water supply of 40 million people and the electricity that powers cities across the Southwest, including Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Diego.
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With seven Colorado River Basin states unable to agree on how to divide the river’s water, the federal Bureau of Reclamation is expected to step in and decide for them.
Lake Powell nears critical threshold
Lake Powell is now just 33 feet from the level at which it can no longer generate electricity. Years of drought have already cut hydropower production from the Colorado River system by roughly half as lakes Mead and Powell continue to shrink.
“It’s a serious situation,” said Sarah Porter, director of ASU’s Kyl Center for Water Policy. “Water from the Colorado River is around 30% of the supply for cities in the greater Phoenix area.”
Hydropower impact on rural communities and tribes
The Colorado River system can generate enough electricity to power millions of homes. Porter said the hydropower produced at Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam is relied upon primarily by rural communities and tribes.
“Power is different from water because it’s networked on a grid,” Porter said. “The hydropower from Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam is generally mostly relied upon by rural communities and tribes.”
States divided on cuts
Arizona, California and Nevada have proposed major water cuts, but upper basin states have not agreed to the plan.
Kelly Shannon McNeill, managing director of LA Waterkeeper, said lower basin states have already reduced their Colorado River use by nearly 20% since 2015, while upper basin states have increased their use over the same period.
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“I would urge those people living in those states to contact their elected representatives and their negotiators at the table and really urge them to come to the table and come up with some sort of agreement,” McNeill said.
Federal intervention expected
Porter said the Bureau of Reclamation is prepared to act in the absence of a state-developed plan.
“We’re actually waiting for an announcement any day from the federal government,” Porter said. “It’s the US Bureau of Reclamation on their plan — sort of in the absence of a state-developed plan, then the feds are going to do what they have to do.”
Without a deal, experts say federal action and likely court battles are next. Bureau of Reclamation officials are expected to release a short-term plan soon. Experts say decades of drought cannot be reversed even with a wet monsoon season or strong winter snowpack.
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