The western United States is facing a an ever growing drought. This should not be news because the facts have been with us for decades. First-ever Colorado River water shortage is now almost certain, new projections show.
On July 28, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom released a final version of the Water Resilience Portfolio, the Administration’s blueprint for equipping California to cope with more extreme droughts and floods, rising temperatures, declining fish populations, over-reliance on groundwater and other challenges.
The rings around the Colorado River at Hoover Dam tells us how high the water reached below the dam. That was a long time ago.
Decreasing precipitation and rising populations could bring a perfect storm of water shortages for the United States. Where is our water going?
Along with decreasing rainfall comes rising temperatures. By 2050 the U.S. could be as much as 5.7°F warmer, and extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and drought, could be more intense and occur more frequently. As temperatures warm, evaporation increases, further decreasing water in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. For example, every degree of warming in the Salt Lake City region could drop the annual water flow of surrounding streams by as much as 6.5 percent—for cities in the western U.S. that rely on cool temperatures to generate snow and rain, warmer weather is bad news.
When Sierra snow seeps into the ground or evaporates before it can flow downstream into reservoirs, you know California is facing a severe drought.
It’s happening this spring up and down the mountain range that is a primary water source for the state.
As if the declining water supply was enough of a challenge the Metropolitan Water District, that acts as the agency bringing water to Southern California, is having a fight among board members as to who should head the agency.
In addition to the Middle East and North Africa, desalination has made inroads in water-stressed parts of the United States, notably California, and other countries including Spain, and Australia. The biggest plant in North America, able to purify tens of millions of gallons each day, is now pumping water near San Diego. Environmentalists may have some objections but the need for fresh water takes priority.
Coast Contact 
Water, brought about by drought resulting from climate change, is a necessity for life. Thank you 😊