US Imposes Water Cuts on California, Nevada, and Arizona to Protect Colorado River

The US Department of the Interior has implemented a new two year operating plan that mandates deep water cuts for California, Nevada, and Arizona. The plan aims to stave off an escalating crisis as the Colorado River and its two primary reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have fallen to record lows. These reservoirs provide water and power to tens of millions of people and irrigate over 5 million acres of farmland.

Under the plan, which runs through 2028, Arizona will face the steepest reductions at 760,000 acre feet. California will see a reduction of 440,000 acre feet, and Nevada will take a cut of 50,000 acre feet. According to Sarah Porter of the Kyl Center for Water Policy, these figures represent a 27 percent cut for Arizona, a 16 percent reduction for Nevada, and a 10 percent cut for California. The plan does not set mandatory cuts for the upper basin states of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico.

The measures follow years of failed negotiations between the seven states that rely on the river. The 1922 Colorado River compact, which originally divided the water, is no longer considered workable due to population growth and a climate change fueled megadrought. While some experts and Arizona officials expressed relief that a plan is in place, others warn that the cuts may be insufficient or could lead to lawsuits as tensions between states rise.