Farm cities expecting announcement on Colorado River cuts, impacting Arizona and several states

(KYMA, KECY/ AP News) - Several states - and Mexico - anxiously stand by as the federal government is expected to make an announcement on extreme water cuts later in the day.

This as drought and climate change leave less water flowing through the Colorado River which provides water to 40 million people across seven states and Mexico and helps feed an agricultural industry valued at $15 billion a year.

Cities and farms across the region now anxiously await official hydrology projections that will determine the extent and scope of cuts to their water supply.

Water officials in several states like Arizona and California are expecting federal officials to project Lake Mead to shrink to dangerously low levels that could disrupt water delivery and hydropower production.

Together, the projections and the deadline for 15% cuts handed down by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, are presenting western states with unprecedented challenges, leaving local areas to carry a lot of the burden with difficult decisions about how to plan for a drier future.