Summary
The largest water reservoir in the United States and the most crucial water source for millions of Americans is Lake Mead, located on the Colorado River. With all its importance, Lake Mead is currently facing an unprecedented water crisis that already hurts the southwestern region and is expected to affect the entire country. This means that any citizen can potentially feel the effect of the crisis in the foreseeable future.
Climate change and inappropriate use of resources accelerate the process of drying up the lake, which is why it is important to elaborate a solution plan now to mitigate the possible consequences. This paper will focus on evaluating possible solutions, and its purpose is to identify the most appropriate plan of action. Combining the transformation of the water distribution and power generation models with mitigating climate change consequences is the most effective solution.
Problem
Causes and Effects
The two leading causes of the Lake Mead water crisis are climate change and the inappropriate and excessive use of water resources. On the one hand, the rising temperatures in the region related to climate change have contributed to the lake’s drying up over the last decades. Achhami et al. (2018) mention that due to warmer winter temperatures in the Southwest, there is less snowpack in the Rocky Mountains, resulting in less snow melt, causing a decrease in the Colorado River’s runoff (p. 260).
Climate change also affects the local environment in general, which, in turn, affects the water resources in the lake. The droughts, aggravated by climate change, have dried up the lake severely. Yi (2020) states that “The Colorado River Basin has endured 20 years of severe drought, which has resulted in a significant water-level decline at Lake Mead” (p. 6).
In addition to the natural causes, the inadequate management of water distribution has also contributed to the deterioration of the situation. For example, Zhang et al. (2022) suggest that the hydroelectric facilities in these areas are not used effectively. Due to the inadequate use of the facilities, the competition for water rises.
The effects of the crisis can be severe, both for the surrounding area’s population and the surrounding environment. The most important effect is that it is becoming more difficult to satisfy the needs of the people who rely on Lake Mead’s water resources. Being the largest reservoir in the country, Lake Mead has the potential to affect not only the populations of the region but also the other areas of the United States. On the other hand, the region’s ecosystem is also under threat, which can potentially contribute to the food crisis and aggravate climate change. Moreover, because the Colorado River is shared with Mexico, the tensions between the countries can increase due to the competition for water resources.
What Has Been Done
The severity of the crisis and its consequences made it apparent that some measures needed to be taken to mitigate the situation. For example, authorities have taken several legal measures. The Law of the Colorado River includes a set of measures aimed at managing the allocation of water resources (Yi, 2020). This law also includes agreements between the most important stakeholders that can ensure fair water distribution.
Drought contingency plans adopted at the Congress level are among other legal measures to manage the crisis. Their goal is to provide a legal framework for the actions that need to be taken in the conditions of water shortages. So far, the legal measures have made it possible to start the process of mitigating the crisis. However, the results are insufficient to solve the crisis.
Potential Solutions
Adjusting Water Allocation and Power Generation
One cause of the crisis is the inadequate distribution of water resources and their excessive use. The current agreement between the main stakeholders and the current water distribution and energy production model does not seem to alleviate the crisis. This is why creating a new hydropower generation and water usage model is essential. Particularly, Zhang et al. (2022), for example, propose “models for dam power generation, water resource allocation, and hydropower resource allocation, taking into account agricultural, demographic, and geographic factors” (p. 23).
The advantages of this solution include far-reaching and long-term results. Adjusting the models for the most efficient distribution and generation means no resources will be wasted. On the other hand, there are several disadvantages, such as the fact that a comprehensive transformation is difficult to implement and requires a lot of resources. The second disadvantage is that this solution does not target the root of the problem, that is, water scarcity; it only targets the management of the resources.
Mitigating Climate Change Consequences
Climate change is the main cause of the crisis; thus, all the solutions will only be temporary without addressing climate change. Firstly, it is important to reduce greenhouse gas emissions considerably at the state and national levels. This long-term strategy will not bring results immediately; however, it is necessary to implement it to ensure the sufficiency of water resources in the future.
Another component of this solution is working on the conservation of the surrounding areas, including afforestation and reforestation. Implementing a plan like this is beneficial in that it will have a long-lasting positive impact. On the other hand, the crisis is at its peak now; thus, the solution needs to provide positive results shortly, which is a disadvantage for this type of strategy.
References
Achhami, A., Kalra, A. & Ahmad, S. (2018). Dynamic simulation of Lake Mead water levels in response to climate change and varying demands. Planning and Management. World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018, 260-267. Web.
Yi, D. (2020). Water scarcity and sewage treatment in Beijing and Las Vegas. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 525, 1-11. Web.
Zhang, Q., Fan, M., Hui, J., Huang, H., Li, Z., & Zheng, Z. (2022). Smart sharing plan: The key to the water crisis. Water, 14(15). Web.