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BBC News Services
For the first time ever, the US government has declared a water shortage on the Colorado River, a life source to millions in the southwest.
The supply cuts now ordered by a federal water agency come as Lake Mead, the river's main reservoir and largest in the US, drains at an alarming rate.
Officials tied the historic drought to climate change as they announced the water supply reductions on Monday.
Around 40 million people in the US and Mexico rely on the river for water.
Lake Mead, which was created near Las Vegas after the building of the Hoover Dam, supplies water to Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico. The lake is now at its lowest level since it was first formed in the 1930s. Federal water officials predict that by the end of 2021, the reservoir will be at 34% capacity.
BBC News Services
For the first time ever, the US government has declared a water shortage on the Colorado River, a life source to millions in the southwest.
The supply cuts now ordered by a federal water agency come as Lake Mead, the river's main reservoir and largest in the US, drains at an alarming rate.
Officials tied the historic drought to climate change as they announced the water supply reductions on Monday.
Around 40 million people in the US and Mexico rely on the river for water.
Lake Mead, which was created near Las Vegas after the building of the Hoover Dam, supplies water to Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico. The lake is now at its lowest level since it was first formed in the 1930s. Federal water officials predict that by the end of 2021, the reservoir will be at 34% capacity.
