Growth may have slowed, the water authority's rural pipeline plan may have been put on pause and Lake Mead may get a temporary raise from extra snowmelt. But the longish-term picture for water in the Southwest? It continues to be bleak. From the AP:
A report released Monday by the Interior Department said annual flows in three prominent river basins — the Colorado, Rio Grande and San Joaquin — could decline by as much 8 percent to 14 percent over the next four decades. The three rivers provide water to eight states, from Wyoming to Texas and California, as well as to parts of Mexico. The declining water supply comes as the West and Southwest, already among the fastest-growing parts of the country, continue to gain population.