Exposed to the beating sun and hot dry air, more than 10 per cent of the water carried by the Colorado River evaporates, leaks or spills as the 2,334-kilometre powerhouse of the West flows through the region's dams, reservoirs and open-air canals.
Water flows down the Colorado River downriver from Hoover Dam in northwest Arizona, on Aug. 14, 2022, near the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. More than 10 per cent of the water carried by the Colorado River evaporates, leaks or spills as the 1,450-mile powerhouse river of the West flows through the region’s dams, reservoirs and open-air canals.
Unlike Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico, the upriver or Upper Basin states -- Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming -- already take into account evaporation losses. The Southern Nevada Water Authority estimates that roughly 1.5 million acre-feet of water are lost to evaporation, transportation and inefficiencies each year in Arizona, Nevada and California. That's 50% more than Utah uses in a whole year.Nevada stands to lose the least under this plan since Lake Mead -- the man-made reservoir from which Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico draw water -- sits in its backyard.
But crucially, California disagrees. Officials there have said Nevada's plan would likely run afoul of western water law. California has rights to the largest share of Colorado River water. Just as important, in times of shortage, water cuts come later than for other users, based on the so-called Law of the River, a series of overlapping agreements, court decisions and contracts that determine how the river is shared. Its senior water rights mean it has been spared from cuts so far.
Under Nevada's plan, California would pay a steep price. In addition to using more water from the river than any other state, its water travels some of the longest distances. California's Imperial Irrigation District, the single largest of all users of Colorado River water, would lose about 19% of its share. The region grows many of the nation's winter vegetables and alfalfa, and Imperial has said it disagrees with issuing water cuts according to evaporative losses at all.
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