COLORADO RIVER BASIN

Aug. 18, 2021

For the first time, the federal government in the US declared a water shortage for the Colorado river basin due to a historic drought, which will lead to water cuts in some southwestern states starting October 2021.

About:

  • The Colorado River Basin is divided into the Upper (Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and northern Arizona) and Lower Basins (parts of Nevada, Arizona, California, southwestern Utah and western New Mexico).

  • The entire Colorado river system is managed with a series of dams and canals to regulate flood control, water conservation and hydropower benefits.

  • In the Lower Basin, the Hoover Dam controls floods and regulates water delivery and storage. Apart from the Hoover dam, there is the Davis Dam, Parker Dam and the Imperial Dam that regulate the release of water from the Hoover Dam.

  • Water is released from these dams and used by residents in California, Nevada, Arizona and Mexico.