Colorado River region contains the top most water-stressed US states: report

Six out of the seven members of the Colorado River Basin rank among the top 10 most water-stressed states in the entire county, a new report has found.

Nationwide, 14 states earned the status of “highly water stressed” — meaning that at least 40 percent of their supply goes toward demand — in the World Resources Institute’s new Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas. By 2050, that number is expected to rise to 17 states.

For six states — four of which are in the Colorado River Basin — at least 80 percent of their water supply goes to demand, per the report. Those states, which include Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, California and Idaho, all have “extremely high” water stress levels.

Of the Colorado River states — which include Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and California — only Utah fell outside the top 10 most stressed states in the country. But at 13th place, Utah has a stress level still considered high, according to the report.

The Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, a tool developed by the World Resources Institute, maps out and analyzes current and future water risks across the world.

This year’s Atlas shows that 25 countries — or one-quarter of the global population — face extremely high water stress each year and are regularly consuming almost all their available water supply.

At least 50 percent of the world, or about 4 billion people, live under highly water-stressed conditions for at least a month each year, according to the report.

“Living with this level of water stress jeopardizes people’s lives, jobs, food and energy security,” the authors of the report stated.

“Without better water management, population growth, economic development and climate change are poised to worsen water stress,” the authors added.

The 10-most water-stressed nations are Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt, per the report.

While countries in the Middle East and North Africa generally face the highest water stress in the world, the biggest shift in demand between now and 2050 will likely occur in sub-Saharan Africa, the Atlas determined.

“The world needs to urgently address the water crisis,” the report authors stated in an accompanying technical note. 

“Cost-effective solutions exist; now we need the political will and financial backing,” they continued. “Every level of government, communities and businesses must step up to build a water-secure future for all.”