Water is the lifeblood of the southwest. It's just not producing enough water here at the rate that we are taking it out of. This is why they can't launch boats. All of this would be underwater. Last year, all of them I drove past the canal and it was empty and I burst into tears. I was like I just can't believe that we have no water. We talked about the drought all the time, like oh, it's dried and this year it's serious. There will be hard decisions that have to be made. You're going to feel it in the grocery store. You know you're going to feel higher prices on your on your clothing on your food does seem like it's a little lower than normal. Never seen it like this before. Hi everyone, welcome to our 12 news special scorched earth. I'm Mark Curtis and I'm Kariba divine. Over the next half hour, we'll explore Arizona's climate crisis. How we got here, what it means for your family, and what's being done to get us back on track. Along with Team 12, William Pitts will examine the crisis from all angles, from infrastructure to agriculture, and even take you to a lost city. That has spent decades underwater, but is now because of the low water levels coming back to the surface. To start, we take you to the Hoover Dam in the aftermath of the historic announcement of the first ever water shortage in Lake Mead's history and what this shortage will mean for you. Below the Crest to that edifice there on the top of the dam. It should be this high. Oh yeah, that's how far we're doing the water level at Hoover Dam hasn't been that high in 40 years. Decades of drought have dropped the lake level 158 feet, exposing the bathtub ring. The whitewash section of rock that used to be underwater and back in August. The Bureau of Reclamation declared the first water shortage in the lakes history. Well, how close are we to a dangerous spot? We're creeping down there where we're at now. Of concern, I wouldn't say we're panicked yet. This is the lifeline of water for you. Know Phoenix for Tucson. For Los Angeles, San Diego. The feds have declared a shortage in Arizona. Will see a big cut in the amount of water it gets. Water is not measured in gallons at this level. It's in something called acre feet. That's the amount of water it takes to cover one acre of land at 1 foot deep. Realistically, it's about 325,853 gallons, and that's the amount of water and average family uses in one year. And Arizona. Will lose 500,000 acre feet of water. We know it's getting tougher as it's as these as this reservoir goes down in Lake Powell above us, it's certainly not good news. We're still about 50 feet above the bottom of the Canyon right now, which gives you an idea of how much water is in Lake Mead. That's the top of the damn right there. On the other side, it should be to the top, but it's still about 150 feet below where it should be. Think of water like money, and this lake is the bank. We're making withdrawals consistently. Every day, but the deposits are not predictable so we've been overdrawn for years, not really, just a bank. It's really multiple banks. And throwing in the Federal Reserve. But I do not think people understand how complicated it is. The Arizona Department of Water Resources is known for years. The shortage was coming. The States have drawn up agreements every few years to try and make it less painful. Cities and states can also bank their water, keep it in the lake for another year and hope it will still be there. They can stick water and underground tanks and save it there. They can also give some away or. Even sell it to someone else, but Arizona is currently trying to buy. Let's say it's your gave me $10 million. To potentially buy conserved water, it remains to be seen whether or not we can find water. Users who are willing to do that, given the fact that we're taking a 500,000 acre foot cut, the shortage won't hit the average person, not yet. That apps will still run. The pools still full. The majority of the folks living in the houses in the state of Arizona won't notice a thing. It's the next level of shortage and the next that could be even worse. But it's not just water, everything is connected here. The lake provides water without its cities. In the southwest couldn't survive. It also provides power. The dam is a hydroelectric power plant. We phase up in the morning and in the evening when the power demands the greatest on the Western Power grid. Their turbines for the Nevada and the Arizona side, and if the water level drops 100 more feet, the dam can't produce power at all. The Southwest cut water usage in past years to try and offset the drought. We had hoped that would buy us time, but things occurred more rapidly than we had hoped. Until then. The southwest is looking for water anywhere it can even considering a pipeline to bring water from the Missouri River. In Montana we're working with Mexico on a potential to desalinate water out the Sea of Cortez. We're starting to work with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Many of those plans are moonshots and years if not decades away. The only thing Arizona can do right now is save as much water as possible. And the impact of that water shortage isn't just hypothetical. That's right, Arizona will now have to give up 17% of its Colorado River water starting in just weeks. There will be hard decisions that have to be made. Assistant state climatologist Aaron Saffle says farming and ranching operations in rural Arizona will likely suffer consequences. First, Arizonans living in big cities and suburbs may face some water conservation measures to things that could happen. They might raise the price of water. Cities may ask to conserve water. Saffle says builders will have to include water conservation technology in new homes, but that could further complicate an already red hot housing market in the state. If you're wondering why we're in such an intense drought crisis when we had a very active monsoon, you're not alone, but it's a lot more complicated than that. Despite a statewide average of 9.3 inches of rain this past monsoon. Which is really good. Most of the state is still in dire need of rain. In fact, more than half of Arizona would need at least five inches of new standing water to be removed from the drought status, which is now highly unlikely as we're in La Nina and rainfall will likely be scarce, but even then, rain is only half the battle. More rain than we've had in years. But it washes highways storm damage enough to make you think that whatever drought we're having is long gone, but these storms were a drop in the bucket. We're going to need quite a few years of above average precipitation to recharge these systems. Officials say there's a difference between short term and long term drought. The long term is what's making Lake Mead more than 150 feet below normal, or what you're seeing on this reservoir here at Lake Mead is the result of two little over two decades of drought, about 22 years. Lake Mead's Water comes from the Rockies. Mostly from snow, not rain, and since that's where our water comes from and the lakes in Nevada, a storm down here won't touch that at all. Typically the summer precipitation doesn't, but a great deal. Weather Service puts out a drought monitor that does show Arizona is improving, but that means things like fire danger and groundwater, so that does very much contribute to ameliorating the short term drive, getting help and getting rid of those short term issues. So while our 2021 monsoon means the desert probably not going to burn as easily like me, it is still at record low levels and Central Arizona project is still going to have to cut its water to agriculture. So one thing we can't control is how much snow and rain are going to come from the sky. So even though that rain was great, what we need to combat that drought is years of good snow and it's not looking like a great winter either. The National Weather Service says La Nina is coming back and that usually means a drier winter still ahead on 12 news scorched earth. The dire situation for so many Arizona farmers and how this water crisis could impact the food that makes it to your dinner table. Plus moving marinas, what do you do if you built your business on the water and now that water is disappearing, the drastic measures being taken by some Arizona businesses and then later the city? That time forgot how the drought is. Uncovering a Nevada town that has spent years underwater? 12 news scorched earth is coming right back. Welcome back as you join us here on South Mountain and as you look around, it's kind of hard to tell that we're in such a dire water situation because the growing issue of water supply has been moving at a glacial pace. Southwestern States and cities have been trying to conserve water for years, doing whatever they think will work. But Las Vegas has become the first in the nation. To try something new, getting rid of grass and it's something that experts say could and probably should work here. Team 12's William Pitts has more from Las Vegas. All this grass is useless. It's on the sides of roads stuck in medians, decorating the front of office complexes, but the only people who ever walk on it are the people who mow it. So Nevada wants it all gone in five years. It's a finite resource we have to. Learn how to use it together and we as a community here in Southern Nevada, have ingrained that water conservation ethic into the fabric of our community. The Southern Nevada Water Authority pushed for state law to remove all this useless turf about 4000 acres of it because getting rid of it will save a ton of water that 4000 acres of grass uses about 10% of our Colorado River. Watereuse the Las Vegas Strip, the largest employer in Southern Nevada, uses less than 4% of the water. That's right, the Las Vegas Strip, with its thousands and thousands of hotel rooms and it's huge water fountains and man-made lakes uses less water than this. Nobody walks on it, you know, kids don't play on it. Dogs don't play on it. It's something that you can do quickly. And it's something that you don't have any big legal or political hurdles. Gary Woodard is done water conservation studies with cities for 40 years. He says doing the same thing in Arizona could help. Something that I think we should consider because the state right now is back looking for for more water. Arizona faces a big cut in the amount of water it gets from Lake Mead. Half a million acre feet of water that will impact agriculture and could impact some cities. The Arizona Department of Water Resources has conservation measures in place and more could be coming, but outlawing useless turf on private property is not one of them. We have mandatory watering restrictions. Nevada water officials say they've put in much more strict water conservation measures than Arizona. There are times people are allowed to water, and a lot of time when they're not. If you're building a house, none of the front yard can be grass and only 50% of the backyard can be grasped, which may seem pretty strict, but the Bureau of Reclamation announced it will cut the amount of water going to Arizona, California, and Nevada in 2022. A two decade long drought is dropped. The water levels at Lake Mead Way below, where they should be. But when those cuts come, Las Vegas won't just survive, they'll have extra water since 2002, when the drought started. We've added 800,000 residents, but we reduce our water use by 23%, so we're poised to meet our future demands. Everyone agrees the southwest has to do something, and that's something we could start with. Something this simple. There's so much uncertainty we can't farm without knowing what we have for water. It was already a difficult time for farmers as the nation deals with economic slowdowns, supply chain shortages, and a high rate of inflation, but a new one. Two punch for Arizona farmers. Unprecedented water cuts and their land drying up right before their eyes over the last year. Rising Temps brought on by climate change have led to 50% of the Western USA. Experiencing extreme drought conditions. Team 12's William Pitts has more on what this environmental crisis means for farmers and their businesses that may not survive. It's very harsh. Yeah, it's all alfalfa, or at least it was now. It's dried up dead. You can feel it crunching below your feet. Nancy Caywood's farm east of Casa Grande, is bone dry. There's nothing growing. The canals are empty, monsoon rains aren't enough. And look at this like a lot of original farmers. She's locked into contracts signed long before she was born. My granddad had to sign an agreement back when he bought this land in the early 1900s that he would never drill a well. And he would pay for two acre feet of water, our water and our taxes are attached. If we can't make the water bill, then you know we could lose our farm. That agreement locks Nancy into a no win situation. Her water company doesn't have the water and she can't get it anywhere else. And without water nothing grows and nothing sells. This is our home place as my granddad stood for, you know we just look at this property and we don't want to lose it. I was just looking at the legacy he left and I I drove past the canal and it was empty and I burst into tears. I was like I just can't believe that we have no water. Nancy gets her water from San Carlos Irrigation when she gets it at all. Her son farms nearby. He gets his water from Central Arizona project. My son will call me and he'll just be so stressed out and say I just lost another night of sleep. Lake Mead has dropped to its lowest point ever in August the feds announced they will cut the amount of water states get. In 2022 and now, Arizona will lose half a million acre feet of water. Central Arizona project will take the biggest hit. Are the taps gonna get turned off the the high priority municipal supplies won't get impacted until we're in a Tier 3, which may happen sometime in the 24 to 26 timeframe. Tier 3 is when we might start to see water rationing for everyone. We're not there yet, but we're closer than anyone would like. Instead, the tier one shortage will take 2/3 of caps water. That goes to farming. Agriculture will be impacted. There's still will farm, but it will be less than they. Some of them will go back to groundwater and some farms just won't make it. They are not. I'm not sure we are we're trying, Nancy says. While your taps won't run dry, you'll feel the shortage in almost every other way possible. You're going to feel it in the grocery store. You know you're going to feel higher prices on your on your clothing on your food. Nancy's options are limited. Alfalfa takes a lot of water, but she can't just rip it up and start over. There's no money for that. It's easier said than done. We don't want to have to prepare feels again. It takes a lot to prepare fields. Some of her neighbors have given up altogether right now. Seems the big thing right now is to sell to the solar fields. Just makes my heart ache to see all these solar panels. Farming is unpredictable. So is the weather. Caywood Farms is looking at more dry fields and an uncertain future. Wake me doesn't just provide drinking water and crucial resources for farmers. The lake is part of the Colorado River, which provides critical drinking water for California, Arizona, Nevada and parts of Mexico. It also provides electricity for those States and we should also mention it's fun. Water sports industries built their businesses right on the water, So what are they doing as that water disappears? It's been higher, you know, 1983 the lake was at full pool. The lakes obviously not meant to be full, but it is at a it is at a record low. That white line is called the bathtub ring. It's the high point of Lake Mead, the reservoir that supplies water to the southwest, including Arizona, Nevada, California, even Mexico. And it provides Bruce Nelson with his livelihood. We move constantly, people, you know, we move. The Marine is out. We move him in. Depending on what the water is doing, and that's a constant thing we're actually scheduled to move this morning. Moving Bruce is entire Marina because the water keeps dropping the lakes, not going to dry up. It's more than 500 feet deep when it's full. But it's a flooded Canyon when the water drops underwater. Mountains come back to the surface. We have lots of water to go. Have fun on. Yeah exactly, but access becomes the hardest thing. Moving a Marina. Not cheap, and while the lake is here to provide water and power, the boats are Bruce's livelihood. Recreation, of course, is not the first thing this lake is for, but it sure becomes something that's very important to a lot of people. And when the water leaves, it takes everything with it according to the sign, there should be a Marina and a store somewhere down there, but you can see how far the lake has dropped and when the water started to dry up, so did all the business. This hotel hasn't seen a guest in years. This is Echo Bay, or at least it was back when there was a Bay. The place was so popular it has its own airstrip so popular that a businessman wanted to name his company after it. But the story goes Echo Bay com was taken. So we called it eBay instead. eBay is still around Echo Bay, not so much. The water's gone so far down the boat ramp doesn't even come close so low it got too expensive to keep the Marina. It was closed and dismantled in 2013. All that's left is a vacant RV park and the abandoned resort that used to be right on the water. I have memories of it, very high down to where it's at now. Chelsea Kennedy is a park Ranger at Lake Mead. Ever since she's worked here, there's been a drought 22 years worth there. There's nothing that's going to happen quickly with this situation. It would be Mother Nature, overtime fixing itself. It's all connected. The demand for water, the supply and Bruce Nelson family business. It needs to be here for the entire Southwest. Bruce can't keep moving the Marina. Something has to give so the lake and the business will be here for Bruce. Is kids coming up next the town that time forgot will take you to a Nevada town that you shouldn't be able to visit without scuba gear. 12 news. Scorched earth will be right back. Welcome back and before we say goodbye we take you back to Lake Mead where the water is at historically low levels. It's so low, in fact, that parts of a town that for years have been underwater are now coming back to the surface. Team 12 William Pitts takes us to the town of Saint Thomas, a town that you shouldn't be able to visit. What lies in the depths of Lake Mead? An old rock quarry? Even a B29 bomber that crashed after World War Two. But as the lake keeps shrinking, some relics return to the surface. The ruins stick up through the grass. The foundation of 100 year old house, the chimney of an ancient grocery store. It's a two mile hike to get to the town of Saint Thomas, but it should be a two mile swim. The feds bought the town of Saint Thomas back on the dam was built. They moved everybody out and then flooded the whole town. This is all that's left of it. The problem is this should all be under 60 feet of water. St. Thomas was an old Mormon settlement built by followers of Brigham Young in the 1800s. By the 1930s it was a full fledged town of 500 people. It had a school, a grocery store, a nice looking hotel, but the town was doomed as soon as the Hoover Dam was planned. Floodwaters lapped helplessly against its arch back as the reservoir filled. When the canyons started to flood, the water came closer. The town's residents started evacuating, packing up everything they owned and leaving, sometimes wading through the water on their way out, the last person left Saint Thomas on June 11th, 1938, and the water swallowed the town. Truly, a modern civil engineering wonder until 1947, when the waters in Lake Mead started receding. We spent the past 20 years. Evolving and learning operations and how to constantly keep up with the evolution of the lake. Lowering the lake provides water and power for people all over the southwest, something that's become harder during a drought that's lasted 22 years and counting the Rangers at Lake Mead have seen the lake levels drop for decades. The lake changes constantly. Come summertime. You do see the more drastic changes it can be up to, you know, anywhere from like 1/10 of a foot to a foot and a day to a week since 1938 the town has gone back underwater. A handful of times, but it's been on dry land far more often than not. What's left now were foundations of the buildings that used to be here, and a reminder that the water levels keep dropping. William Pitts. 12 news. In the coming year there are going to be new challenges presented by the water crisis, and it's important that we all do our part to get Arizona back on track. Former U S secretary of Interior, Stewart Udall from right here in Arizona, once said plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect mankind wise words to keep in mind as we enter 2022 and an unprecedented time for Arizona. Thanks so much for putting your trust in us. And thanks for joining us for our 12 news special scorched earth.
