“The only way around is through.”
Robert Frost
You may be wondering why I’m writing about drought in the Western United States the same week atmospheric rivers have been dumping historic rainfall on California. While the flooding and mudslides from these storms have been disastrous, there has been a crisis slowly unfolding in the West with more serious long-term consequences: a twenty-year megadrought. And the situation highlights the difference between weather and climate.
The drought is causing challenges with crops and wildfires, but it is also threatening the water and power supply to a huge portion of the US. Lake Powell and Lake Mead are two of the country’s largest reservoirs, and they are shockingly low. Not only do these reservoirs, and the Colorado system that flows through them, serve as drinking water and irrigation to millions, but their respective dams (Glen Canyon and Hoover) provide massive amounts of hydropower to the region.
The last two years have caused a “rapid intensification” of the situation. The rainfall from the storms this week will help, but it will take a lot more to dig out from the deficit.
Just how dry is it?
To give you an idea, Lake Powell, which was last full in 1980, is now at 25%. Lake Mead was last full in 1999, but is now at 28%. Federal water managers say there could be a potential “dead pool” at Lake Mead in 2025. This isn’t a movie sequel; it means water would stop flowing downstream from the Hoover Dam.
Drought and climate change
The link between drought and climate change is well-established. Warmer temperatures cause increased evaporation, making the soil and vegetation more dry. The warmer winters are also leading to less snow and more unpredictable precipitation.
Although the drought is most severe in the West, many others states and regions in the US are suffering as well, with over 80% of the country facing conditions that are at least abnormally dry.
What can we do?
The federal government, along with the states supplied by the Colorado River system are working on plans for conservation measures. For those of us who don’t live in areas directly affected by drought, it still helps if we are all conscious of our water use, and look for ways to conserve.
Because of the link to climate change, in order to achieve a long-term solution, we need to transition away from fossil fuels and reverse the warming trend. We can educate ourselves about the issue and find ways to influence systemic change.
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.