More than 15 years of drought on the Colorado River is increasing the chance that Lake Mead will fall low enough to trigger a shortage declaration in the not-too-distant future. It seems a matter of when and not if.

According to federal officials, there is a 65 percent chance of a shortage being declared between 2019 and 2021. To alleviate the anticipated impacts of declining levels in Lake Mead, the Colorado River Basin states and water users are working on a plan to slow the decline of the nation’s largest reservoir.

Water Education Foundation Writer Gary Pitzer explores that topic in the recently published edition of River Report, the Foundation’s biannual Colorado River newsletter.

“Bending the Curve: The Lower Basin Drought Contingency Proposal” also looks at the Lower Basin’s structural deficit between supply and demand, and the need for Arizona, California and Nevada to resolve this issue in addition to finding ways to maintain Lake Mead’s level during the ongoing drought.

Click here to read the free digital Summer 2016 edition.