The Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona creates Lake Powell, which holds only 43 percent of its capacity this year. The reservoir is part of a system that supports 40 million people in seven western states who benefit from water from the Colorado River Basin. A vital reservoir on the Colorado River will be able to meet the demands of Mexico and the U.S. Southwest for the next 13 months, but a looming shortage could trigger cutbacks as soon as the end of 2019, officials said Wednesday. A forecast from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation echoes previous warnings that a nearly 20-year trend toward a drier regional climate coupled with rising demand could drain so much water from the Lake Mead reservoir that cutbacks would be mandatory. The report increases the pressure on seven U.S. states that rely on the […]