science
Lower Basin States Propose 2.7 Million Acre-Feet Voluntary Colorado River Cuts Through 2028
Three lower basin states have put forward a plan for voluntary water cutbacks to stabilize the Colorado River supply amid ongoing negotiations. The proposal aims to save millions of acre-feet through 2028 while addressing tribal obligations. Deadlocked talks among seven states highlight disputes over sharing the burden of dwindling resources.
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California, Arizona and Nevada have proposed voluntary water-saving measures for the next three years, aiming to buy time while negotiations remain deadlocked over the future of shrinking reservoirs filled by the Colorado River. 2 million acre-feet of water through voluntary cutbacks through 2028, with an additional 700,000 acre-feet saved through conservation measures and infrastructure improvements.
The plan includes the creation of a conservation pool to ensure that the federal government meets its trust obligations to tribes in Arizona.
“With this proposal, the Lower Basin is putting forth real action to stabilize water supply along the Colorado River,” JB Hamby, chair of California’s Colorado River Board, said in a statement. “We’re putting forward additional measurable water contributions for the system.
The proposed plan requires approval from the states’ water agencies and the Arizona legislature, along with cooperation from the federal government.
The states said the plan was structured as a unified package that should be implemented or rejected in full. The Colorado River provides water to 40 million people in the American West. Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the two massive reservoirs filled by the Colorado River, stand at historically low levels.
The low levels of Lake Mead and Lake Powell result from consistent overdrawing coupled with reduced snowpack and warming from climate change. Seven states have legal rights to water from the Colorado River. The seven states have failed to agree on how to spread the pain of lost access to the dwindling Colorado River resource.
