California, Arizona and Nevada urge Trump administration to rethink Colorado River plans
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Leaders of California, Arizona and Nevada are criticizing the Trump administration’s proposals for water cutbacks along the Colorado River, urging it to take a different approach and avoid a court battle.The three downstream states said in letters to the Interior Department this week that the agency’s preliminary outline of five options for cuts ignores the foundational “Law of the River” that has underpinned how seven western states operate for more than a century.Federal officials have so far failed to examine whether their options comply with the 1922 Colorado River Compact, and this is “a fundamental deficiency that must be corrected,” JB Hamby, California’s lead negotiator, wrote in a letter to the Trump administration.
That agreement split the water among four upstream states — Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico — and those downstream — Nevada, Arizona and California.It required the water released from Upper Basin dams for Nevada, Arizona and California to average at least 7.5 million acre-feet over any decade, plus an allotment for Mexico — a legal “tripwire” that some state officials argue could soon be breached, clearing the way for a lawsuit claiming violation of the compact.The Colorado River provides water for farms, cities and tribal communities from the Rocky Mountains to northern Mexico.The 1922 agreement promised more water than the river could provide, and now climate change is contributing to dry conditions and shrinking the river flow.
Climate & Environment Seven states have missed a federal deadline to reach a water deal on the Colorado River.They remain divided on how to cut water use.Monday was the deadline for water agencies and individuals to submit comments to the Trump administration on its options for dealing with severe water shortages.
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