On Aug. 16, the U.S. federal government declared a Colorado River water shortage for the first time. This unprecedented action was triggered by the precipitous drop in Lake Mead’s water level: It’s at 1,067 feet above sea level, or about 35 percent full. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation expects the lake’s water level to remain about 1,066 feet above sea level into 2022, which will force a first tier of water use reductions beginning Jan. 1.

The economic impacts to the states that tap water from the Colorado River are significant, with no relief in sight.

Lake Mead provides water to an estimated 25 million people in Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico. The complex governance of the Colorado River Basin and its water priority system means Arizona and Nevada will be impacted first by the tier-1 reductions. Arizona will be subjected to an 18 percent reduction in the state's total Colorado River supply, primarily impacting agriculture. And Nevada will need to maintain its existing 7 percent reduction until 2022.

Additional reductions will impact agriculture and municipal water if the water level in Lake Mead continues to decline. The next tier of water use reductions will be triggered if the lake level declines to 1,050 feet above sea level, which could occur by 2023.

How did we get here for the Colorado River Basin? What is wrong and what is right about water in the Colorado River Basin when it comes to addressing water scarcity, quality and access to safe drinking water?

This is not a drought. The American West and the Colorado River Basin have been in the midst of a drought, mega-drought or persistent drought depending on who you ask. The reality is that the water shortage in the Colorado River Basin is part of the longer-term aridification of the American West.

Read the full article about the Colorado River Basin by Will Sarni at GreenBiz.