California Approves Plan to Reduce Colorado River Water Allocation

As the decades-long dispute over Colorado River water continues, three lower basin states revealed an agreement on March 6 to reduce their consumption. The new proposal submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation details agreements among Arizona, California, and Nevada to decrease water usage by up to 1.5 million acre-feet annually if the Colorado River reservoirs’ capacity drops below 58 percent—a reduction representing roughly 17 percent of the total allocation for the three states in most years. The reduction, amounting to approximately 10 percent of California’s total allocation, is enough to sustain 1.2 million households in Southern California for a year. Currently, the Golden State receives the largest portion of Colorado River water, with an annual allocation of 4.4 million acre-feet....