Biden Admin Proposes Reducing Water Supply From Colorado River Basin Amid Drought

The Biden administration has suggested reducing the water supply to 40 million people who rely on the Colorado River Basin to deal with long-term severe drought and low runoff levels. These measures are a part of a draft report by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation.

The draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement recommends revising the current guidelines for the short-term operation of Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams.

The Department of the Interior has reported that this move is a part of the Biden administration’s efforts to invest in climate change resilience for the Colorado River Basin and all communities that depend on it.

The draft report explores various alternatives to ensure continued water deliveries and hydropower production for the 40 million Americans who depend on this river system.

Two artificially made reservoirs located along the Utah-Arizona border, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, have decreased to dangerously low levels due to long-term drought conditions. The reservoirs are nearing so-called dead pool levels that could threaten water supplies and hydropower-generated electricity for millions of Americans.

Tommy Beaudreau, the Deputy Secretary of the DOI, has stated that failing to act is not an option.

Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton stated that drought conditions in the Colorado River Basin have been worsening over the last two decades.

Proposed Alternatives

The report outlines two ways of changing how the dams are operated. Both proposals involve using less water from the Glen Canyon Dam and adapting to additional water shortages. The primary difference between the two options is how the shortages are allocated.

The first option, alternatively known as “Action Alternative 1,” models the shortages based on who holds the highest priority water rights. The second option, referred to as “Alternative 2,” predicts shortages being shared out equally among all water users, regardless of priority status, in the Lower Basin.

Both proposals predict progressively worsening water shortages as Lake Mead’s water levels decrease. Additionally, there will be more extensive shortages in 2025 and 2026 than in 2024.

However, the maximum deficit amount analyzed in the 2007 Interim Guidelines’ final environmental impact report is limited to 2.083 million-acre-feet in 2024.