California, Nevada and Arizona will be required to conserve an unprecedented 3 million-acre-feet of water from the Colorado River through 2026.
The Biden administration has reached a landmark deal with states dependent on the Colorado River to conserve water amid the decadeslong drought.
The three Colorado River lower basin states — California, Nevada and Arizona — will be required to conserve an unprecedented 3 million-acre-feet of water through 2026, the White House announced in a press release Monday.
The deal is voluntary among the states and will prevent the need for federal intervention to mandate cuts. Representatives from the seven Colorado River Basin states have agreed to the conservation proposal, according to the White House.
The vast amount of water conservation will take place in exchange for about $1 billion in federal funding.
Last month, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation proposed a plan to cut water allotments to states to combat dwindling water levels along the Colorado River. It gave the seven Colorado River states the options of no intervention — allowing the states to come to their own agreement; cutting the amount of water released from the Glen Canyon Dam based on water rights — with California being the priority; or water cuts spread evenly among the states.
