There may be a plan in place to keep the West in water in the face of climate change, population growth and sluggishness to conserve. Or there may simply be plans for plans. The image above comes from a federal Bureau of Reclamation May 2010 Tribal outreach PowerPoint to do with supply and demand on the Colorado River.

To quote retired General Stanley A. McChrystal’s remark about another PowerPoint, “When we understand that slide, we’ll have won the war.”

As for the current state of our shrinking Colorado River reserves, with apologies for the lateness of what should have been a September 1 posting, after the jump are the last 10 closing August elevations for the reservoir serving Arizona, Nevada, California and the Republic of Mexico as reported by the master of the river. The closing August 2010 elevation of Lake Mead was 1,086.91, the lowest since 1956. Click here for complete historical elevations from Reclamation.



August 2010: 1,086.91

August 2009: 1,093.73

August 2008: 1,105.13

August 2007: 1,111.84

August 2006: 1,126.54

August 2005: 1,139.61

August 2004: 1,126.67

August 2003: 1,143.27

August 2002: 1,156.42

August 2001: 1,179.97

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