![]() The other would have been a percentage cut across the board. One contemplated using a decades-old water priority system that would have benefited California and some Native American tribes with senior water rights. Bureau of Reclamation released a plan that considered two ways to force cuts for Arizona, Nevada and California. Bureau of Reclamation called for the seven basin states to figure out how to cut their collective use of Colorado River water by about 2 to 4 million acre feet in 2023 alone - roughly 15% to 30% of their annual use - but states blew past that deadline and an agreement remained elusive for several more months. But key water officials didn't see those efforts as enough to prevent the system from collapsing. In recent years the federal government has cut some water allocations and offered billions of dollars to pay farmers, cities and others to cut back. Water levels at key reservoirs dipped to unprecedented lows, though they have rebounded somewhat thanks to heavy precipitation this winter. The Colorado River has been in crisis for years due to a multi-decade drought in the West intensified by climate change, rising demand and overuse. Gavin Newsom of California and Joe Lombardo of Nevada also praised the agreement. Katie Hobbs said the deal provided a way to “build our reservoirs back up in the near-term,” but added that work remained to address long-term effects of climate change and overallocation. Buschatzke said the proposal still needs analysis and approval from the federal government, which will determine how much funding will be allocated for entities that give up water.Īrizona Gov. This is not an agreement,” Buschatzke said during a conference call with reporters. Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, stressed that the announcement is not a final deal. Leaders in Arizona and Nevada didn't immediately say how they'd divide the other 1.4 million acre feet. It wasn't clear why the other states agreed to a deal now when California didn't offer further cuts. That's roughly the same amount the state first offered six months ago. Under the new proposal, California would give up about 1.6 million acre-feet of water through 2026 - a little more than half of the total. Arizona and Nevada have already faced cuts in recent years as key reservoir levels dropped based on prior agreements. Most of that goes to farmers in the Imperial Irrigation District, though some also goes to smaller water districts and cities across Southern California. households annually.Ĭalifornia gets the most, based on a century-old water rights priority system. ![]() An acre-foot of water is roughly enough to serve two to three U.S. ![]() The three Lower Basin states are entitled to 7.5 million acre-feet of water altogether from the river. “It looks like that’s what what’s going to happen.” “The goal was so the government didn’t have to issue a mandate” based on priority rights, he said. He noted the agreement is a “short-term, three-year deal” and that because the Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming didn’t face immediate cuts, they were not part of the pact. Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Basin region. But money helps you keep talking,” said Terry Fulp, former regional director of the U.S. The bureau's earlier proposal, if adopted, could have led to a messy legal battle. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton called it an “important step forward.” She said the bureau will pull back its proposal from last month that could have resulted in sidestepping the existing water priority system to force cuts while it analyzes the three-state plan. Though adoption of the plan isn't certain, U.S. In exchange for temporarily using less water, cities, irrigation districts and Native American tribes in the three states will receive federal funding, though officials did not say how much they expected to receive. It produces hydropower and supplies water to farms that grow most of the nation's winter vegetables. states, parts of Mexico and more than two dozen Native American tribes. The 1,450-mile (2,334-kilometer) river provides water to 40 million people in seven U.S. ![]() That's less than what federal officials said last year would be needed to stave off crisis in the river but still marks a notable step in long and difficult negotiations between the three states. About half the cuts would come by the end of 2024. The plan would conserve an additional 3 million acre-feet of water through 2026, when current guidelines for how the river is shared expire. LAS VEGAS (AP) - Arizona, California and Nevada on Monday proposed a plan to significantly reduce their water use from the drought-stricken Colorado River over the next three years, a potential breakthrough in a year-long stalemate that pitted Western states against one another. ![]() By SUMAN NAISHADHAM and KEN RITTER Associated Press ![]()
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