The West’s Megadrought
Drought is a slow-moving disaster, but that doesn’t mean you can’t see it from space. The image above shows Lake Powell in 2020 compared to 2021. The manmade reservoir is indicative of the problems the West has faced for years; a megadrought unseen in 1,200 years has turned the region increasingly arid for the past few decades. That culminated in this summer’s record low water levels at Powell as well as its downstream neighbor, Lake Mead, and reservoirs across California.
Though parts of the West have seen a decent start to the wet season, with California and the Pacific Northwest in the midst of being blasted by another series of storms this weekend, the reality is the West will need to figure out how to live under its new weather regime. Some years will be a feast of precipitation in the midst of long stretches of dry ones. One of the most unique proposals are draining Lake Powell altogether. But what’s clear is our relationship with water in a place never meant to support this many people or this much agriculture needs to fundamentally change.
