The federal government announced on Tuesday a water cut for Arizona, Nevada and Mexico due to the fall in the flow of the Colorado River, which will begin to operate for the first time in what is known as Level 2 starting in January due to the historic drought in the West of the country.
Federal authorities predict that the levels of Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, will plummet further in the coming years.
The cuts will put states that depend on their flow under extraordinary pressure to plan for a hotter, drier future while also coping with rising populations.
Lake Mead is currently less than a quarter full.
The seven states that depend directly on that water missed the federal deadline to come up with proposals to cut its use next year.
The Colorado River supplies 40 million people in the western United States and northern Mexico, and is a key water source for farmers.
[This swath of the United States will experience extreme heat of up to 125 degrees in 2053]
The new projection from the Department of the Interior anticipates that in January the lake will be less than 1,050 feet above sea level, after spending the summer at 1,040, just 27% of its capacity.
Tier 2 means Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico will see their Colorado River flow reduced beginning in January.
California is off the hook for now (its Tier 2 starts at 1,045 feet).
Arizona will see the biggest cut, equal to 21% of its annual river quota.
Planet Earth: One of the most important reservoirs of the Colorado River falls to historic lows
June 26, 202201:18
Water managers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming fear that the flow of Lake Mead - located on the border between Nevada and Arizona - will be reduced to a dangerously low level that could even interrupt the supply of water and hydroelectric power production.
A sunken boat is found on the shore of Lake Mead, on May 10, 2022, near Boulder City, Nevada.
John Locher / AP