EE.UU: ante la disminución del caudal del río Colorado, Phoenix presenta nuevos planes para paliar la escasez de agua

    Nearly 40% of Phoenix’s water comes from the Colorado River. The river is now experiencing historically low flows. City leaders are preparing for potential shortages with conservation measures and backup plans. Here’s a closer look at what’s happening.

    As Colorado River water levels decline, Phoenix leaders say they are prepared with backup plans to offset potential water shortages.
    As Colorado River water levels decline, Phoenix leaders say they are prepared with backup plans to offset potential water shortages.

    The new backup plan introduced by city leaders is designed to keep water flowing even as the river continues to shrink. The plan, called the Secure Water Arizona Program (SWAP), was presented to the City Council on April 28. It is a voluntary statewide water-sharing framework designed to manage shortages through collaboration among water users across Arizona.

    Phoenix Plans to Address Water Shortages

    To offset the impacts of the drought and declining river supplies, and to ensure water reliability, the City of Phoenix has planned several measures. These include storing unused water underground for future use, expanding infrastructure to move water across the system, developing additional groundwater capacity, and investing in renewable surface water supplies.

    According to Max Wilson, the Water Resources Management Advisor, the Colorado River is currently experiencing “the lowest flows that it’s seen in over 1000 years."

    However, city leaders said they have been planning for this for decades and emphasized that Phoenix will not run out of water.

    Phoenix is not running out of water. We have planned for drought for decades, and we continue to invest in the infrastructure, conservation programs and water supplies needed to serve our community today and into the future. As conditions evolve, maintaining that reliability will continue to be a shared effort between the City and our customers.

    According to the City of Phoenix website, the city’s water comes from a diverse mix of sources, including the Salt and Verde Rivers, the Colorado River, and groundwater. This diversified portfolio, combined with decades of planning and investment, has positioned the city to respond to changing conditions and maintain reliable service, state officials said.

    Ongoing Drought Severely Strains the Colorado River, a Key Water Source for 40 Million People

    Arizona experienced its hottest January–March period on records this year, along with its 28th driest. The state has also endured some of its hottest and driest conditions over the past four years, dating back to April 2022.

    The persistent drought, meanwhile, has severely strained the Colorado River, which supplies nearly 40 million people across seven Western states, including Arizona. The federal government has proposed significant shared cutbacks to help protect the nation’s largest reservoirs and distribute the burden more evenly.

    Water from the Colorado River is essential to life in parts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.According to USGS, since 2000, the Colorado River Basin has been experiencing a historic, extended drought that has impacted regional water supply and other resources, such as hydropower, recreation, and ecologic services.

    The Colorado River Supplies Water to One in Ten Americans

    The Colorado River supplies more than one in ten Americans with at least some of their municipal water, including drinking water. It provides irrigation water to more than 5.5 million acres (about 8,590 square miles) of land. It also supports habitat for a wide range of species, including threatened and endangered wildlife, as well as diverse plant and animal life.

    Currently, the Basin is experiencing its lowest 16-year inflow period in over 100 years of records. Reservoir storage in the Colorado River system has also dropped from nearly full to about half of capacity. With rising water demand and a warming climate, it is unclear whether the solutions proposed by states and cities like Phoenix that rely on the river will be enough to offset the water shortage going forward.