One wet year will not fix the drought faced by Western states.  The Hill reports that the Southwest United States is facing the driest mega-drought in 1200 years.

A mega-drought is a prolonged drought lasting two decades or longer.

According to NPR, “Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the country’s two largest reservoirs, are only filled at about one-third of their total capacity.  Federal water managers declared the first-ever water shortage along the Colorado River last year, triggering cuts to some of the river’s 40 million users.”

Recent dire news about the mega-drought comes from the National Climate Change journal’s February 14, 2022 report, Rapid intensification of the emerging southwestern North American megadrought in 2020–2021.”

Story on YouTube.

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Huge Swaths of Western States Suffering Drought Drought Emergency: Governor asks Californians to conserve water Upper Colorado River States Look at Drought Response Plan Desalination Development Act reintroduced to ease CA water woes