Biden Administration Outlines Options For Cutting Colorado River Consumption As Drought Worsens
After years of strain on water resources and months of failed negotiations between state consumers, the federal government has released details on two potential solutions for saving the Colorado River.
“The Biden administration released an environmental analysis … that outlined two ways that seven Western states and tribes reliant on the overtapped Colorado River could cut their use,” the Associated Press reported. “One option would be more beneficial to California and some tribes along the river that have high-priority rights to the river’s water. The second option is likely to be more favorable to Nevada and Arizona, who share the river’s Lower Basin with California and say it’s time for an approach that more fairly spreads the pain of cuts.”
As climate-induced water scarcity continues to plague the American West, with no sign of abating, the states that rely on the Colorado River have had the chance to agree on cuts among themselves, but have so far failed to do so. The negotiations have seemingly come down to California versus the other consumers, and the options now laid out seem to emphasize that. The administration initially declined to indicate which of the options it prefers, but a decision is coming.
“States, tribes and other water users now have until May 30 to comment before federal officials announce their formal decision,” according to AP. “The two plans outlined by federal officials … would achieve at least 2 million acre-feet of cuts in 2024, on top of existing cuts that states and other users previously agreed to.”
Cuts will doubtlessly take a toll on consumers and businesses throughout the region, but it’s clear they are needed.
“In releasing a new environmental review of how to operate the Colorado River’s major reservoirs, the Interior Department details the painful dilemma facing the American West after a two-decade drought and chronic overuse,” per The Washington Post. “Both federal and state officials have warned that the third opinion, changing nothing, would be the worst of all.”
To read more about how regulations are evolving as drought plagues drinking water systems, visit Water Online’s Water Scarcity Solutions Center.