"It's scary. I won't lie," said Bill Hasencamp, manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Hasencamp said conditions briefly improved in 2023 because of above-average snowfall and runoff, but drought conditions have since returned.
"We got lucky in 2023 ... it was a wet year. There's a lot of snow and it looked like things were improving. The reservoirs went up, but since that time, the snowpack has been pretty dismal, and this particular year was the lowest snow every quarter in the upper basin," Hasencamp said.
The Metropolitan Water District receives about half of its water supply from the Colorado River. Officials said the agency's allocation for next year will be reduced by more than 30% as part of conservation efforts.
Hasencamp also said forecasts show Lake Mead could drop another 5 feet within the next month or two. If that occurs, hydroelectric power production at Hoover Dam could be reduced by 70%.
"The beauty of hydroelectric energy is that you can turn it on on a moment's notice and generate a bunch of energy quickly at no cost. So if you lose 70% of that ability, then you're going to have to get it somewhere else, which it is going to be more expensive, so it is a cost implication for all of Southern California," Hasencamp said.
The concerns extend beyond urban water users. Farmers in California's Imperial Valley use 75% of the water the state takes from the Colorado River. Hasencamp said additional conservation measures could force some farmers to fallow fields, creating economic challenges for rural communities.
"A lot of rural communities are not interested in changing, and it's difficult to change. People don't like change, but we have to change, and we have change quickly," Hasencamp said.