Tonight, a story that impacts all of U.S.
Federal officials declared
the first ever water shortage
at Hoover Dam today.
That announcement kicks off a series
of cuts in the water that Arizona
will get from Lake Mead as part of our
12 news series scorched Earth team.
Charles William Pitts takes an in
depth look at what the water shortage
means and how it can impact you.
Below that, Krista that edifice there on
the top of the dam it should be this high.
Oh yeah, we're that's not forward in the
water level at Hoover Dam hasn't
been that high in 40 years.
Decades of drought have dropped
the lake level 158 feet,
exposing the bathtub ring.
The whitewashed section of rock that
used to be underwater a few more feet
and the Bureau of Reclamation will
declare the first water shortage
in the lakes history. Well,
how close are we to a dangerous spot?
Were creeping down there where
we're at now is of concern.
I wouldn't say we're panicked yet.
This is the lifeline of water
for you. Know,
Phoenix, for two
son for Los Angeles,
San Diego. The feds
have declared a shortage in Arizona,
will see a big cut in the
amount of water it gets.
Water is not measured in
gallons at this level.
It's in something called acre feet.
That's the amount of water it takes to
cover one acre of land at 1 foot deep.
Realistically,
it's about 325 thousand 853 gallons.
And that's the amount of water an
average family uses in one year,
and Arizona will lose 500.
1000 acre feet of water.
We know
it's getting tougher as this
as this as this reservoir goes
down in Lake Powell above us,
it's certainly not good news.
We're still about 50 feet above
the bottom of the Canyon right now,
which gives you an idea of how
much water is in Lake Mead.
That's the top of the damn right there.
On the other side,
it should be to the top,
but it's still about 150
feet below where it should
be. Think of water like money,
and this lake is the bank.
We're making withdrawals
consistently every day.
But the deposits are not predictable
so we've been overdrawn for years,
not really, just a
bank. It's really multiple banks.
And throwing in the Federal Reserve.
But I do not think people
understand how complicated it is.
The Arizona Department of
Water Resources is known for years.
A shortage was coming.
The States have drawn up
agreements every few years to
try and make it less painful.
Cities and states can also bank their water,
keep it in the lake for another year
and hope it will still be there.
They can stick water in underground
tanks and save it there.
They can also give some away or even sell it.
To someone else,
but Arizona is currently trying to
buy. Legislature gave me $10 million.
To potentially buy conserve water,
it remains to be seen whether
or not we can find water.
Users who are willing to do that,
given the fact that we're taking a
500,000 acre foot cut, the shortage
won't hit the average person.
Not yet. That apps will still run.
The pools still full. The
majority of the folks living
in the houses in the state of
Arizona won't notice a thing. It's
the next level of shortage and the
next that could be even worse.
But it's not just water,
everything is connected here.
The lake provides water without its cities.
In the southwest couldn't survive.
It also provides power.
The dam is a hydroelectric power plant.
We phase up in the morning and
in the evening when the power
demands the greatest on the Western
peregrine their turbines for
the Nevada and the Arizona side.
And if the water level drops 100 more feet,
the dam can't produce power at all.
The Southwest cut water usage in past
years to try and offset the drought.
We had hoped that would
buy us time, but things occurred
more rapidly than we had hoped.
Until then. The southwest is looking for
water anywhere it can even considering
a pipeline to bring water from the
Missouri River. In Montana we're
working with Mexico on a potential to
desalinate water out of the Sea of Cortez.
We're starting to work with Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California. Many
of those plans are moonshots
and years if not decades away.
The only thing Arizona can do
right now is save as much water as
possible. William Pitts 12 news.
It's so sobering to hear that yeah,
well, this is a story. Obviously that
will continue to affect all of us.
Hope you'll join us at 6 all this week
for our continuing series scorched earth.