Water from Colorado’s West Slope basins plays a vital role in supporting the economy and natural environment across seven western U.S. states, but a new study finds that even under modest climate projections, the basins face a potential tipping point where traditional water delivery levels to Lake Powell and other critical areas may no longer be sustainable. The study, published Nov. 9 in the journal Earth’s Future, is the largest and most comprehensive exploratory modeling analysis of drought vulnerability in the Colorado West Slope basins – six watersheds along the Colorado River that feed the Lake Powell reservoir and support a $5 billion annual agriculture economy. The finding comes at a critical time as state and federal policymakers negotiate water-sharing agreements set to expire in the coming years.

Other Colorado River articles:

• Newsweek: Lake Powell at existential risk as river basins head for ‘tipping point’
• KVUE (Austin, Texas): LCRA considers new water supply strategies as it plans for uncertainty
• Newsweek: NASA images reveal massive early-season snowpack in Colorado
• KJZZ (Tempe, Ariz.): Listen: Colorado River water managers aren’t worried about a new Trump administration
• The Times-Independent (Moab, Utah): Utah’s water year starts ‘on a positive note’