Shifting Alliances, Talks Show Colorado Basin Water Shortage Starting To Bite [View all]

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"Slowly but surely, the entire supply on Colorado River has become less reliable," says Jeffrey Kightlinger, who manages the Metropolitan Water District in Southern California. He notes that the water level in Lake Mead, the biggest reservoir on the river, has been plummeting. An official shortage could be declared next winter. "And that'll be a historic moment," Kightlinger says.

It's never happened before. Arizona and Nevada would be forced to cut back on how much water they draw from the river. California would be spared that fate, because it has senior water rights. So you wouldn't expect to hear what Kightlinger says next. "We are having voluntary discussions with Arizona and Nevada about what we would do proactively to help," he says.

California could help by giving up water before it has to, between 5 percent and 8 percent of its supply. Kightlinger isn't offering this out of the goodness of his heart; if Lake Mead drops too low, the federal government could step in and reallocate all the water, including California's. "We all realize if we model the future and we build in climate change, we could be in a world of hurt if we do nothing," Kightlinger says. This idea of cooperation is somewhat revolutionary after years of lawsuits and bad blood.

Recently, farmer Steve Benson was checking on one of his alfalfa fields near the Mexican border. "We know there's a target on our back in the Imperial Valley for the amount of water we use," he says. This valley produces two-thirds of the country's vegetables in the winter — with water from the Colorado River. In fact, for decades, California used more than its legal share of the river and had to cut back in 2003. This area, the Imperial Irrigation District, took the painful step of transferring some of its water to cities like San Diego.

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http://www.npr.org/2016/12/30/507569514/high-demand-low-supply-colorado-river-water-crisis-hits-across-the-west