DSW prepares for possible first water shortage declaration

Water reservoirs projected to sink to historic lows in coming months

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY/NCB) - Man-made lakes, which millions of people in the American West depend on for drinking water, are predetermined to sink to historic lows this upcoming summer.

Depleted levels could trigger the federal government's first-ever official water shortage declaration. Such an action would force cuts in both Arizona and Nevada.

This warning comes from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The bureau released projections this week forecasting less water from the Colorado River will cascade down from the Rocky Mountains through Lake Powell and Lake Mead, ultimately threatening the supply of water cities and agricultural communities rely on.

Some experts blame climate change, believing it means less snowpack flowing into the river. Hotter temperatures subsequently cause additional river water to evaporate.

The forecasts also project Lake Mead will drop to such a low point that, in the past, federal experts said could threaten the generation of electricity produced through the Hoover Dam. This would directly impact the supply of power to millions of people throughout Arizona, California and Nevada.

Arizona, Nevada and Mexico have already voluntarily given up water under a drought contingency plan centered around the Colorado River, which they signed two years ago. A shortage declaration would force Arizona and Nevada to make their first mandatory cuts.