US issues western water cuts as drought leaves Colorado River near ‘tipping point’

A ‘bathtub ring’ is visible at the Lake Mead reservoir due to the western drought, as seen from the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River at the Nevada and Arizona state border. Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

After western US states failed to reach agreements to reduce water use from the beleaguered Colorado River, the federal government stepped in on Tuesday, issuing cuts that will affect two states and Mexico.

Officials with the Bureau of Reclamation declared a “tier 2” shortage in the river basin as the drought continues to pummel the American west, pushing its largest reservoirs to new lows. The waning water levels, which have left dramatic bathtub rings in reservoirs and unearthed buried bodies and other artifacts, continue to threaten hydroelectric power production, drinking water, and agricultural production.