US states agree to use less of Colorado River to avert water crisis

A temporary plan to save the Colorado River is emerging after months of heated debate. The plan represents a breakthrough in negotiations on how to use less water of the river exposed, but is still a long way from solving the water crisis facing the western United States.

The proposed plan would see California, Arizona and Nevada – states that rely on the lower river basin – reduce the amount of water they withdraw by at least 3 million acre-feet by 2026. Half that amount would be retained by the end of 2024, according to a letter sent by the states at the US Department of the Interior on May 22.

THE colorado river provides water to more than 40 million people. The majority of those new cuts — 2.3 million acre-feet — would come from reductions in water use in cities, Native American tribes and irrigation districts. The total reductions would equate to approximately 13% of total water use in the lower basin states and would be offset by $1.2 billion from the Cut Inflation Act, according to New York Times.

California, Arizona and Nevada would be tasked with finding places to cut the remaining 700,000 acre-feet themselves. The four states that depend on the upper river basin – Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming – have say they support consideration of the proposal by the US federal government, but did not approve the plan.

After decades of mega-drought and overuse, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the river’s two main reservoirs, faced record levels. Water officials have warned that without cuts, reservoirs could become so low that water could not pass through dams and generate power.

In June 2022, US officials said states would have to come up with a plan to cut between 2 million and 4 million acres or face mandatory cuts, triggering months of intense negotiations and two missed deadlines to come up with a plan.

The new proposal was aided by what turned out to be a extremely wet year in the western United States, which has made reductions in water consumption easier to digest, says Sarah Porter at Arizona State University.

Although the proposal represents a breakthrough in negotiations, it is still expected to be accepted by the US government and other states. And the plan says nothing about what might happen after 2026, when the rules that allocate water on the river are set for major renegotiation. “It’s an attempt to keep the system functional,” says Porter.

The seven states that depend on the river to irrigate farms and provide clean water to millions of people acknowledged this in their letter to the federal government: “A good winter doesn’t solve the systemic challenges facing the Colorado River. .