A U.S. federal plan aimed at easing pressure on the Colorado River basin limits water use by California, Nevada and Arizona for the next two years.
The regulation prepared by the Bureau of Reclamation calls for the three states to reduce their combined annual water use by 1.25 million acre-feet. It also states that future conditions could require more extensive cuts.
Arizona will implement the largest share of the reductions. No cuts are currently planned for Colorado, Utah, Wyoming or New Mexico.
Under its water-sharing agreement with the United States, Mexico will also reduce the amount it takes from the Colorado River by 250,000 acre-feet.
Drought deepens pressure on the basin
Andrea Travnicek, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s assistant secretary for water and science, said the basin was experiencing a prolonged drought that had lasted 26 years. Travnicek said the drought was expected to continue and emphasized that the parties in the basin needed to act together.
According to estimates by the Bureau of Reclamation, the Colorado River supplies water to approximately 35 million to 40 million people. While the current rules governing use of the river are expected to expire in October, the basin’s seven states have yet to reach an agreement on long-term water sharing.
The basin recorded its lowest snowpack on record last winter. The low snowpack increased pressure on agriculture, industry, wildlife, hydropower generation and communities dependent on the river.
Temporary arrangement covers 2027 and 2028
Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke said the cuts would provide significant stability in 2027 and 2028 while negotiations on a long-term framework continued.
JB Hamby, California’s representative responsible for Colorado River negotiations, said the arrangement would provide short-term certainty during a period of extraordinary risks but would not create a permanent solution.
