Photos: US Considers Water Shutoffs Amid Colorado River Crisis

The United States is considering water shutoffs in seven states that depend on the Colorado River, a 2,330 km (1,450 mi) waterway that supplies clean water and electricity to tens of millions of people in the American West.

The need for the reductions, which are expected to be announced later this year, comes as water levels in the river hit record lows amid drought caused by climate change.

Approximately 40 million people in the seven Colorado River basin states (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California) will be affected, including members of the 30 federally recognized Indian tribes in the region. .

Despite years of efforts to mitigate the drought, in August 2021 Washington declared the first water shortage in the basin, calling for water reductions and mitigation measures, but a long-term solution remained out of reach.

Researchers have warned that no major cutsthe two largest reservoirs in the US, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which depend on the river, could get so low that the water would stop flowing.

With a final decision on the federal government cuts in the offing, Al Jazeera traveled to key sites and communities along the Colorado River to see how the crisis is affecting residents.