2026年5月16日 晚9:20 美国东部时间 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
洛杉矶 — 科罗拉多河正深陷危机，随着人口不断增长，从河中取水量日益增加，而气候变暖正导致其供水持续枯竭。
今年冬季，滋养该河流的落基山脉积雪量跌至历史低点，迫使下游的米德湖和鲍威尔湖等大型水库水位逼近临界低位。
美国西部约4000万人每日依赖科罗拉多河供水，其中许多人对此习以为常。但随着河流水量持续减少，该地区很快将面临严厉的供水管制措施。
“水库水位下降的原因是多方面的，”亚利桑那州立大学凯尔水资源政策中心主任萨拉·波特说道，“并非单一因素导致，但毫无疑问，今年大自然没有提供任何助力。”
联邦官员近期开始向犹他州与亚利桑那州交界处的鲍威尔湖注入数十亿加仑湖水，以防止水力发电陷入中断。
与此同时，亚利桑那州、加利福尼亚州和内华达州正加紧节水行动，公布了一项应急方案，将为减少用水的用户提供补贴。
但如果流经该河流的各州无法达成更广泛的协议，反而各自争夺更多配额，专家警告，强制节水措施可能会进一步收紧。这将威胁到农业、水力发电，以及从凤凰城到洛杉矶等数百万城市居民的供水安全。
2026年4月30日，亚利桑那州米德湖国家休闲区的米德湖水位仍处于低位，科罗拉多河流域创纪录的低积雪量加剧了人们对该湖的担忧。RJ·桑戈斯蒂/媒体新闻集团/《丹佛邮报》 via 盖蒂图片社
随着关键的联邦运行规则将于今年晚些时候到期，负责在西部17个州建设和管理水坝、发电厂及运河的美国垦务局预计将于今夏敲定各州未来的节水配额分配方案。
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专家警告，如果不彻底改变长期用水模式，科罗拉多河可能会出现严重的过度取水问题。
不过也出现了一些意外的缓解迹象。上周一场罕见的五月风暴为落基山脉带来了数英尺降雪。这将暂时缓解危机，但专家表示，这不足以消除数百万民众目前面临的供水威胁。
Colorado River crisis could force drastic water measures across the West, experts say
May 16, 2026 9:20 PM EDT / CBS News
Los Angeles — The Colorado River is in crisis, with a growing population taking more water from it as a hotter climate is drying up the supply.
The snowpack in the Rockies that feeds the river fell to record lows this winter, pushing major reservoirs downstream — like Lake Mead and Lake Powell — toward critically low levels.
Approximately 40 million people across the West depend on the Colorado River for water daily, with many taking it for granted. But the region could soon face drastic measures as the river keeps shrinking.
“The causes of those declining reservoir levels are multiple,” said Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University. “It’s not one thing, but certainly this year we didn’t get any help from Mother Nature.”
Federal officials recently began releasing billions of gallons of water into Lake Powell, a reservoir in Utah and Arizona, to prevent disruptions in hydropower.
At the same time, Arizona, California and Nevada are scrambling to conserve water, unveiling an emergency proposal that would pay some users to consume less.
But without a broader agreement among the states the river flows through, each fighting for more of the share, experts warn mandatory water cuts could deepen. That would threaten farming, hydropower and the water supply millions of people rely on in cities from Phoenix to Los Angeles.
A record-low snowpack across the Colorado River Basin is intensifying concerns at Lake Mead, where water levels remain low on April 30, 2026, in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Arizona. RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
And with key federal operating rules set to expire later this year, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — which constructs and manages dams, power plants and canals across 17 Western states — is expected to decide this summer how future cuts will be divided among states.
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Experts warn that without major long-term changes in water use, the Colorado River could become catastrophically overdrawn.
There has been some unexpected relief, however. An unusual May storm brought several feet of snow to the Rockies last week. It will help for now, but experts say it is not enough to end the threat millions of people now face.
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