California, Arizona, and Nevada have come together in a plan to protect the Colorado River Basin and reduce their water use from the river to save it from current drought conditions over the next three years, the southwestern states announced on Monday.
The southwestern states have agreed to cut at least 3 million acre-feet of water through 2026—a significant 10 percent cut to the states’ Colorado River allocation—and would be split up among farmers, tribes, and cities who are working with the federal government on short-term payments in exchange for water savings.
The river supplies water to 40 million people across seven U.S. states, parts of Mexico, and more than two dozen Native American tribes.
