The Colorado River basin, which supplies almost 25 million people and serves cities such as Phoenix and Las Vegas that depend on the river, could face severe water shortages if Lake Mead, which serves almost a quarter of the population and serves nearly 25 million and cities like Las Vegas, could drop to 20% full this year. This is particularly worrying as snowpack levels in Lake Powell have reached a record low and spring runoff into the Colorado River is expected to be minimal. Major cities like Denver, Phoenix, and Vegas have already cut their per capita water consumption by up to 58% between 2002 and 2025. The researchers found that demand management alone cannot offset the dwindling flows of the Colorado river. The findings suggest bolder measures will be needed to prevent further water shortages in the region.