By Andrew Hay
July 27 (Reuters) – A U.S. plan for sharing the waters of the drought-stricken Colorado River would require Arizona, California and Nevada to cut their water use by a fifth in the next two years and to make even deeper reductions later, a senior water official from one of those states said on Monday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said the plan should also include reductions for Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, the four other states deadlocked over the future of a river that provides drinking water to one in 10 Americans, irrigates land producing around 15% of U.S. food output and fills reservoirs that provide power to over 6 million people in the region.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expected this week to adopt a short-term proposal by Arizona, California and Nevada, known as the Lower Basin states, to cut their water use by 1.6 million acre feet in 2027 and 2028, for a total of 3.2 million acre feet, equivalent to cutting their current allotment by 21%, the state official said.
The cuts for Lower Basin states could nearly double in 2029 through 2036 to up to 3 million acre feet in each of those years to maintain critical reservoir water levels, the official said. The 10-year plan would be up for review every two years, based on water conditions.
Reclamation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Lower Basin states had earlier agreed to cut water use by 21% and are calling on the federal government to also impose reductions on the Upper Basin states.
A Reclamation draft plan proposed voluntary water conservation by Upper Basin states but no mandatory cuts.
The states have been negotiating for three years on how to replace a current 20-year plan that expires at the end of 2026.
The Upper Basin states have rejected making cuts. They say they already face reduced supplies from decades of drought and that deeper cuts by Lower Basin states — which use most of the river’s water — are needed to stabilize the Colorado.
Federal intervention could be met by state lawsuits that might mean years more uncertainty for the river. Reclamation is expected to issue a final environmental impact statement this week followed by a binding record of decision on Friday.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; editing by Donna Bryson and Chris Reese)
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