Photo Credit: Caitlin Ochs
The biggest water reservoir in the country, Lake Mead, is nearly at a “deadpool” level when the turbines of the nearby hydroelectric facilities would not able to function properly. It would be the first time in 86 years if it happened.
The likelihood is entirely plausible given the evident changes Lake Mead is going through. For instance, Arthur Murzeau, a local traveler who visited Las Vegas to witness the well-known lake, claimed that the water is much lower in real life than it seems in pictures.
“I think we need [politicians] to take action. We need people to react and to be really aware of what’s going on,” Murzeau said.
Is the public aware that there is a problem?
Authorities have frequently expressed concern about the approaching disaster the country may face if the trend holds, as the drought is at its worst in 1,200 years. However, the daily lives and activities of individuals in Colorado have not altered significantly, despite this. Statistics show that nearly 40 million people depend on the river for their needs.
Numerous relevant departments have been made aware of the increased calls, and protective steps have been implemented. Experts believe that the attempts could not be sufficient, though, as areas anticipate a shortage in the near future.
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In the place called ‘Mas Vegas’
Houses keep popping up south of Highway 39 and Hoover Dam where there is little access to water resources. RVs frequently go through the region known as “Mas Vegas,” where homes are continually being built.
The situation is the same in Rio Verde, in Phoenix’s northern outskirts. Real estate agent Karen Nabity expressed frustration over the fact that so many individuals are still permitted to purchase land in the region and construct homes there despite the shortage of water resources.
“They don’t have a disclosure to the owner of that property to say, ‘you’re building this house, but do you know on January first we don’t have a water source for you,” she stated.
In the neighborhood of Rio Verde Foothills, 500 homes will be at risk of having their water supply cut off in January 2023. Since Scottsdale’s neighborhoods are using up all of the water provided by the Colorado River, there isn’t much water to go around.
“The Colorado River won’t be flowing, water won’t be flowing down the [Central Arizona Project] canals, that should be an ‘oh shit’ to this entire state. I’m an Arizona native, and for God’s sakes, wake up, Arizona, we need to do something, and we need to do it now,” Nabity added.
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The solution to the problem
Because they received a notice in 2016, according to Nabity, they were not caught unaware of the water deficit. Nabity gathered her neighbors and suggested to the government the creation of a water district designed to acquire property and water rights in order to discover a new source for their water reservoir. In the nation, the suggestion is a standard procedure. The Maricopa Country, nevertheless, turned down their proposal.
“What is our state doing? People are still planting grass; people are still watering yards. We need to have our state step up more and start doing bigger cutbacks now,” said Nabity.
A number of Tucson residents have expressed the same worry, and the city councilman from Tucson agreed that more interventions should be done.
“Three years from now, five years from now, whenever it is, we can all be standing along the banks of Colorado looking at a dry riverbed, saying all I did was take what I was entitled to, and we sucked it dry.”
Source: NPR
