Nevada’s future — and that of the American West — depends on how seriously we confront the collapse of the Colorado River Basin’s water supply. Many of our conversations have centered on the visible: the shrinking surfaces of Lake Mead and Lake Powell, parched reservoirs exposed like bones in the desert. And while the depletion of surface water is an important measure of the health and sustainability of the Colorado River Basin, there are indicators below our feet that the West’s water crisis may be even worse than imagined.
A new study published by researchers at Arizona State University shows the Colorado River Basin’s hidden groundwater reservoirs, the invisible but vital lifelines stored in soil and rock, have lost more than 13 trillion gallons of water since 2002. That’s more than the entire capacity of Lake Mead, vanished in little more than 20 years. Worse yet, this depletion is accelerating, occurring three times faster in the last decade than in the previous one.
Unfortunately, in the absence of dramatic displays like the bathtub ring that now encircles Lake Mead, people too often don’t address groundwater with the urgency it deserves.
Nevada is at the forefront of this challenge, and we have the tools to respond.
While the Legislature failed to pass Assembly Bill 109, which would have expanded regulatory oversight of groundwater supplies, it did take some significant action on water conservation more generally.
Last week, Gov. Joe Lombardo signed legislation to establish a new Nevada Voluntary Water Rights Retirement Program, which allows landowners to sell their water rights back to the state for permanent retirement. This will help reduce the amount of water allocated across the state, bringing the allocation more in line with the actual amount of water available in the Colorado River and in underground aquifers.
Another bill related to water management, Senate Bill 6, is currently awaiting action by the governor. It would fund Nevada’s groundbreaking cloud seeding program through 2027.
Cloud seeding, conducted by the Desert Research Institute, deploys silver iodide particles into clouds during the right weather conditions. It can boost snowfall and enhance our snowpack, a critical source of fresh water in our arid climate. Last winter alone, cloud seeding added an estimated 56,000 acre-feet of snowmelt to key Nevada watersheds. That’s enough to supply tens of thousands of households. This is not a silver bullet, but it’s a smart and proven technology that makes our limited storms more productive. And in Nevada, every raindrop counts. The science is sound and the return on investment is clear. Lombardo should sign SB 6 without hesitation.
But even as we embrace innovation, we cannot stop. Cloud seeding must be part of a broader, longer-term strategy that includes conservation, growth management and real efforts to replenish water, both on the surface and below ground.
Las Vegas already stands as a global model of water conservation. We’ve removed more than 200 million square feet of ornamental grass, started aggressive recycling programs and reduced water use while supporting a growing population. No major city in the world uses water more efficiently. But more can be done, both in Nevada and in neighboring states with whom we share our precious water supplies.
In some parts of the West, entire cities are slowly sinking due to overpumping of groundwater. In Arizona, up to 100% of the water supply in some parts of the state now comes from depleting aquifers, yet only about 18% of Arizona’s territory is subject to robust regulatory oversight of groundwater extraction. Without coordinated reform, the overuse of groundwater in one state undermines the sustainability of the entire basin.
This is the tragedy of the commons — and it’s playing out in real time, with serious consequences for millions. The basin’s groundwater is being consumed faster than nature can replenish it. In some cases, such as fossil aquifers, which contain water that fell as snow or rain thousands of years ago, it may never be replaced.
The study by Arizona State University is a wake-up call. Underground aquifers are not a sustainable alternative to the Colorado River’s surface water. As James Famiglietti, the study’s lead author, puts it, “You can only do this so many times before you run out.” That moment may be coming faster than most policymakers realize.
Nevada has an opportunity and an obligation to lead. Signing SB 6 is the right first step, but it must be followed by a real reckoning about how we grow, what we grow and how we manage our most precious natural resource. We must invest in recharge projects and technologies that can return water to riverbeds, reservoirs, mountain tops and aquifers alike. And we must demand that every state in the basin step up with serious water conservation measures of their own.
Water is vanishing in the West. What remains of it must be fiercely protected. Our future depends on it.
