Western US states reach agreement on Colorado River conservation

Seven states have reached a “historic consensus” on water conservation for the Colorado River in the western United States, a breakthrough in a region where persistent drought has made water allocation a point of debate.

In a statement Monday, the US Department of the Interior (DOI) said the three states that make up the Colorado River Basin — Arizona, California, and Nevada — have agreed to voluntary measures to conserve 3 million acre-feet of water, or 3.7 billion cubic meters, through 2026. That works out to using about 13 percent less water in three years.

“There are 40 million people, seven states and 30 tribal nations that depend on the Colorado River Basin for basic services like clean water and electricity,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a news release Monday.

“Today’s announcement is a testament to the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to working with states, tribes and communities across the West to find consensus solutions to climate change and sustained drought.”

As climate change exacerbates drought in the western US, water flow along the Colorado River has been reduced by about 20 percent since the 20th century.

Faced with the prospect of the river collapsing, states that depend on the river have discussed how to decrease its use and which areas should accept the steepest reductions.

Questions have also been raised about the role of indigenous communities, who have historically been excluded from conversations about the river and water use.

The federal government has tried to mediate between several states and the DOI press release does not provide details on the distribution of the cuts.

The upper basin of the river includes the states of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico, with California, Arizona, and Nevada in the lower basin.

Monday’s agreement was reached as the seven states agreed to a proposal that would temporarily prevent the possibility of the US Recovery Office imposing mandatory cuts in the lower basin states.

In a statement Monday, President Joe Biden tied the deal, which he called a “significant step forward,” to the increased efforts his administration has made to combat climate change and improve infrastructure, praising the “record resources to support conserving water and improving the long-term sustainability of the Colorado River.”

In exchange for the 3 million acre-feet (3.7 billion cubic meters) in reductions in water use, California, Arizona and Nevada will receive $1.2 billion in federal compensation, under the terms of the agreement.

JB Hamby, president of the California Colorado River Board, said in a statement that California alone would account for about 1.6 million acre-feet (2 billion cubic meters) in cuts.

In recent years, the region’s water reservoirs have reached record lows amid decades of drought. C.Climate change, as well as increasing demand and overuse, have fueled plummeting water levels.