The arid West is getting drier, and shrinking water supplies pose a boatload of risks to human health throughout the region. Those findings come from a new federal report on climate change that also covers a broad range of hazards brought on by changing climate patterns due to human activity. Those hazards span from flooding to wildfires, from drought to rising sea levels. The Fifth National Climate Assessment identified drying in the Colorado River basin as one of the greatest climate risks facing the Southwest, as well as the region’s biggest area for future climate mitigation and adaptation. The problem hinges on one key fact: The Southwest is getting drier, and it’s likely not a temporary phenomenon.

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