Tag Archive for: Water cuts

As Colorado River States Await Water Cuts, They Struggle to Find Agreement on Longer-Term Plans

The federal government is expected to announce water cuts soon that would affect some of the 40 million people reliant on the Colorado River, the powerhouse of the U.S. West. The Interior Department announces water availability for the coming year months in advance so Western cities, farmers and others can plan.

Behind the scenes, however, more elusive plans are being hashed out: how the basin will share water from the diminishing 1,450-mile (2,334-kilometer) river after 2026, when many current guidelines that govern it expire.

Hot, Inland California Cities Face the Steepest Water Cuts With New Conservation Mandate

Facing a future of shortages, California is entering a new phase of water conservation: Cities and towns must meet new mandates ramping down use over the next 15 years — and some will be hit harder than others.

Opinion: California Will Get $295 Million From Feds to Use Less Colorado River Water. Here’s Why Some Utahns Aren’t Happy.

California just agreed to significantly cut its Colorado River water use, but the deal might not be the conservation boon that it seems.

California Will Soon Require Many Cities to Significantly Cut Water Use. Here Are the Details

A second straight wet winter may be in store for California, but state water regulators are turning their attention to the prospect of long-term water shortages, with plans for permanent statewide restrictions.

Federal Officials Plan to Announce 2024 Cuts Along the Colorado River. Here’s What to Expect

Federal officials this week are expected to ease water cuts for 2024 under a slightly improved outlook for the Colorado River’s health, though long-term challenges remain. The river provides water for seven U.S. states, 29 Native American tribes and two states in Mexico. It also supports a multibillion-dollar farm industry in the West and generates hydropower used across the region. Years of overuse by farms and cities and the effects of drought worsened by climate change has meant much less water flows today through the Colorado River than in previous decades.

Inside Las Vegas’ Legislative Push for Tools to Reduce Water Use Before Any Big Cuts Come

In 2021, at a Colorado River conference in Las Vegas, the Southern Nevada Water Authority laid out an ambitious and detailed plan to lower per capita water use through conservation. The presentation quantified why deep municipal conservation — limits on decorative grass, pool sizes, golf courses, septic tanks and landscaping — was necessary to adapt to a far drier future.

You — Yes, You — Are Going to Pay for the Century-Old Mistake That’s Draining the Colorado River

An hour east of San Diego, there’s a lonely stretch of dry, barren land. There’s not much here but sand, dirt, and some wiry shrubs.

But keep driving east and the landscape suddenly shifts.

Federal Officials Told States to Curb Colorado River Use. How Will It Affect California?

Despite a wet winter, California and other western states will still need to cut back how much water they draw from the Colorado River. The question federal and state officials are weighing is: How much will they each need to cut?

 

What Might Cuts to Dwindling Colorado River Mean for States?

The Biden administration floated two ideas this week to reduce water usage from the dwindling Colorado River, which supplies 40 million people.

What Colorado Water Officials Think of the Federal Government’s Proposed Colorado River Cuts

The federal government has laid out its ideas for water cuts in the Colorado River Basin, which means time is running out for basin states to agree on a plan of their own.

In Colorado, water officials say the onus is on California and Arizona to make it work.