PrintDealing With Water Scarcity: A Diversified Portfolio
Due to a decades-long drought in the Colorado River system (see Sidebar: CO River Compact), the water level in Lake Mead has dropped by almost 170 feet since 2000 (Figure11). This corresponds to a decrease from ~25 million acre-feet of stored water to around 10 million acre-feet. If the lake water level drops to 1075 feet (as of June 2022, it is 1043 feet!), a federal shortage would be declared, triggering a reduction in Nevada and Arizona's allocations. In June of 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation decarded an emergency request for Colorado River states to reduce use by 2-4 million acre-feet within 18 months.To make matters worse, the two intakes in Lake Mead that withdraw water for Las Vegas cannot function if the lake level drops below 1050 feet (intake #1) or 1000 feet (intake #2). With the possibility of continued dry conditions, and because of their near sole dependence on Colorado River water, Las Vegas has developed a multi-pronged strategy to hedge against uncertainty due to future climate change coupled with likely increased demand due to growth and development in Clark County.
