Federal Officials Announce Water Cuts as Colorado River Supplies Keep Dropping

Federal officials said on Friday that California, Nevada, and Arizona must cut back how much water they take from the Colorado River. The government's plan calls for those three states to use 1.25 million acre-feet less water each year for the next two years. Officials made this decision because the river's water supply has been dropping for a long time, and the situation has become a serious crisis for millions of people in the West.

The Colorado River provides water to about 40 million people. Farmers, cities, wildlife, and power plants all depend on it. Dozens of Native American tribes and two states in Mexico also rely on the river to survive.

Arizona will face the biggest cuts of the three states. States that are upstream — Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico — will not face cuts right now. Mexico also agreed to reduce its water use by 250,000 acre-feet under a treaty it has with the United States.

Officials say the river has been in a drought for 26 years, and that dry period is expected to continue. Andrea Travnicek, an assistant secretary at the Interior Department, said it is very important for all the states in the river basin to keep working together. She said the drought is not going away anytime soon, and cooperation is the key to getting through it.

Last winter made things even worse. The Colorado River Basin had the lowest snowpack ever recorded last winter. Snowpack is the amount of snow that builds up in the mountains during winter and then melts into rivers and lakes in the spring. Less snow means less water flows into the river.

The two largest reservoirs in the country — Lake Mead and Lake Powell — are both fed by the Colorado River. Lake Mead recently dropped to its lowest level since it started filling up about 90 years ago. Lake Powell hit its lowest level just a week later. Together, the two lakes hold less water than they have in nearly 70 years.

Years of using too much water, combined with drought and rising temperatures from climate change, are to blame. The current rules about how the river's water is shared are set to expire in October. The seven states that use the river have not been able to agree on a long-term plan for sharing it.

Arizona's water officials thanked California and Nevada for working together to share the cuts fairly. Tom Buschatzke, who directs Arizona's Department of Water Resources, said the new plan will bring stability for the next couple of years. He added that talks will continue to figure out a long-term solution for everyone.

California's top Colorado River negotiator, JB Hamby, said the plan gives people 'some badly needed near-term certainty at a moment of extraordinary risk.' However, he called it 'a bridge, not a permanent solution,' meaning more work still needs to be done. Nevada's officials also praised the teamwork and said they still want all seven states to agree on a long-term plan together.

In Southern Nevada, a conservation expert warned that further water cuts could slow down construction in the Las Vegas area. New airports, shopping malls, and other big projects depend on having enough water. Kyle Roerink of the Great Basin Water Network said the situation at Hoover Dam — a famous symbol of American strength — can be both scary and a chance to plan better for the future.