LAS VEGAS (AP) — In a new report about an ongoing problem, an advocacy group is projecting the effects in places that depend on the Colorado River if the water level at drought-stricken Lake Mead continues to fall.
Western Resource Advocates says the vast reservoir behind Hoover Dam is being drained faster than it can be filled, and the first to feel the effects would be farmers in Arizona.
The report came at the same time outgoing Interior Secretary Sally Jewell warned that key drought contingency plans aimed at reducing the risk of water shortages in seven Western U.S. states remain unfinished.
Meanwhile, federal water managers say it's going to take a lot more of the plentiful snow and rain that parts of the West have seen in recent weeks to make a dent in the drought.