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The federal government is proposing cuts to water used by California, Arizona and Nevada, a major step toward figuring out the management of the dwindling Colorado River.
The river provides water to states throughout the West, including drinking water and water for agricultural, industrial and municipal uses.
As the West becomes drier, figuring out how to manage the shrinking resource has been a challenge.
A final environmental impact statement released Friday by the federal government proposes cuts for California, Arizona and Nevada, collectively known as the Lower Basin states of the Colorado River.
The seven states that rely on the river have long been negotiating about its future management, as 2007 interim guidelines expire at the end of this year.
As those states have not reached an agreement themselves, the federal government is having to step in and impose its own plan.
“This framework provides the flexibility to respond to changing hydrologic conditions while preserving the opportunity for the Basin States to continue working toward durable, consensus-based solutions,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement.
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