Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

White House steps up efforts to address prolonged drought in West

Lake Mead

John Locher / AP

In this July 20, 2014, file photo, a bathtub ring of light minerals shows the high water line near Hoover Dam on Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

CARSON CITY — The Biden administration has launched a working group focused on addressing drought conditions in the West as the region continues to suffer from a long period of water scarcity.

The group, which will be co-chaired by the departments of the Interior and Agriculture, will work with state, local and tribal governments on community needs in weathering drought, according to a news release from the Interior Department.

“Water is a sacred resource. This interagency working group will deliver a much-needed proactive approach to providing drought assistance to U.S. communities, including efforts to build long-term resiliency to water shortages,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in the release.

The United States Drought Monitor lists about 90% of Nevada in three drought classifications — “severe,” “extreme” and “exceptional” — in order of severity. Clark County is ranked in the “exceptional drought” category.

Prolonged drought can affect many areas, including agricultural yield and an increase in wildfire frequency.

“In the United States, intense droughts threaten major economic drivers in rural communities such as agriculture and recreation, disrupts food systems and water supplies, endangers public health, jeopardizes the integrity of critical infrastructure and exacerbates wildfires and floods,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

Recently, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released two-year predictions showing that Lake Mead and Lake Powell’s water supply may shrink to the level in which the agency must declare cuts.

Climate change has caused less snowpack to enter into the Colorado River and more water to evaporate as it moves along the river’s path into the two reservoirs. Nevadans would likely see little direct impact from the cuts, however, due to water conservation measures that mean the state uses around 50,000 acre-feet less than its 300,000 acre-feet annual allotment from the Colorado River.