The use of reservoirs on the Colorado River will be reduced

Early next year, the use of reservoirs on the Colorado River will be reduced. It will hit Arizona the most, losing 18 percent of its water. Federal officials reported the unprecedented move on Monday. The reason is the drying up of the river, which is a source of water and energy for more than 40 million people. Dry flies have accompanied the western states of the USA for 22 years. Earlier this summer, water levels in reservoirs in the Colorado River Basin dropped to record lows. The buoys, which once warned of a rocky bottom, are lying in the sand, and the white water on the surrounding rocks testifies to the earlier level. According to US officials, the whole situation has reached a point where action is needed as soon as possible. The water retained in the largest reservoirs here, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, is now distributed under legal agreements between seven US states, the federal government and Mexico. According to the plan presented on Monday, the limit for 2022 will start as soon as the level in the tanks falls below a certain value. Lake Mead is 1,075 feet (328 meters) above sea level. But hydrologists estimate that the reservoir level will be below 1,066 feet (325 meters) above sea level in January next year. Restrictions are likely to occur soon. The planned changes will have the greatest impact on Arizona, which will lose eighteen percent of its allocation, ie about eight percent of its total water consumption. Nevada will lose seven percent of its allocation, but the AP says it is unlikely to feel the shortfall because it has built up enough supplies in the past. The share for Mexico will shrink by about five percent.