The deal between California, Arizona and Nevada agrees to cut at least 3 million acre-feet of water through 2026 – around 10% of the states’ Colorado River allocation – water that would otherwise be used to irrigate farms, generate hydropower or feed municipal drinking water systems. Most of the cuts would be compensated with at least $1 billion in federal funds from the Inflation Reduction Act. The four states that make up the river’s upper basin – Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico – said they supported reviewing the new plan. The deal marks a major step after months of tense negotiations to save a crashing Colorado River system, which provides water to more than 40 million people in the West. “California and our partners in Arizona and Nevada have developed a plan to better perform and protect the Colorado River system than either action alternative identified in the current [federal proposal] released last month by Reclamation,” California’s lead Colorado River negotiator JB Hamby said in a statement.

Source: CNN May 22, 2023 16:23 UTC