![]() ![]() It has significantly reduced river flow and shrunk reservoirs, leading to widespread concerns about water scarcity as the climate continues to warm. This is the driest multi-decade period the region has seen in at least 1,200 years. The southwestern North American megadrought is an ongoing drought that began in 2000. The massive loss of water prompted supply cuts under the first federally declared water shortage in 2021. This is equal to the full storage capacity of Lake Mead, the largest reservoir on the Colorado River. ![]() The Colorado River Basin – the area drained by the Colorado River and its tributaries – covers approximately 647,500 square kilometers (250,000 square miles) in seven states across western United States, supplying water to about 40 million people while supporting agriculture and natural ecosystems.Īccording to a new study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), from 2000 to 2021, climate change caused the loss of over 40 trillion liters (10 trillion gallons) of water in this basin.
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