Arizona, California, and Nevada adopt massive water-saving plan for the Colorado River

In a significant move for the arid American Southwest, Arizona, California, and Nevada have forged a crucial agreement to conserve water from the Colorado River. This pact, set to save four trillion liters by 2028, is a vital response to the alarming decline in water levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead, reservoirs that sustain forty million people. The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated, as the river faces historically low inflows and the risk of reaching critical levels.

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The states of Arizona, California and Nevada, belonging to the lower basin of the Colorado River, approved today a plan to stabilize the Colorado River until 2028, in response to the decline in reservoir levels, historically low inflows to Lake Powell and the growing risk of reaching critical levels in both Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

The agreement underscores a commitment to regional cooperation, a necessity when managing a shared resource as vital as the Colorado River. By pledging substantial water savings, the lower basin states are taking concrete steps to stabilize a system that is showing signs of severe strain. This proactive stance is essential to avert a potential crisis and ensure a more reliable water supply for the millions who depend on it, particularly for agriculture, which is a major water consumer in these states.

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With this proposal, the lower basin is taking concrete steps to stabilize the water supply along the Colorado River. We are making additional and quantifiable water contributions to the system. Without that, the system will continue to deteriorate.

This accord arrives amidst ongoing, often tense, negotiations with the upper basin states—Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—who also rely on the river's flow. The lower basin's commitment to "additional and quantifiable water contributions" aims to spur similar actions from the upper basin, fostering a more equitable and sustainable approach to water management. The states have expressed their willingness to engage in constructive dialogue for long-term solutions, urging all parties to contribute verifiable water savings to help stabilize the system before it deteriorates further. The historical context of the 1922 Colorado River Compact, which initially divided the water, now requires modern adaptation to address the realities of climate change and increased demand.

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participate in a constructive process to find long-term solutions