Planning for Droughts

The checksheet below is provided to communities to assess how prepared they are for a drought and defines action items for them to improve their preparation.

Potential Hazards Associated with the Colorado River

  • Large Cities such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Phoenix could lose their main source of power/water

  • The upper-basin states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) would give up 7.5 million acre-feet of water per year to lower- basin states (California, Arizona, and Nevada). This is due to agreements for water usage between the states. WON'T THEY HAVE TO GIVE UP THAT MUCH ANYWAY? WHAT PERCENTAGE IS THIS OF THE ENTIRE ACRE-FOOTAGE?