Editorial board | The Republic
An agreement among five parties, including Gila River Indian Community and Phoenix, leaves even more water in Lake Mead to prevent drastic cuts
(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are published for discussion purposes only.)
Scarcity has a way of concentrating the mind. And, at the moment, the American West is concentrated on a wavering line that intersects the Arizona-Nevada border.
When the water level at Lake Mead reaches or drops below 1,075 feet above sea level, the federal government will declare a shortage and trigger the first of tiered reductions in water supplies to states.
Today, that water level hovers about 1,081 feet above sea level, only a few feet from declaration.
A generational drought intensified by climate change and massive population growth has put the Colorado Basin states on crisis footing.
If we are to continue to prosper as communities into the distant future, we will need to work together to solve the problem of water scarcity.
