The states that use Colorado River water have agreed to cuts requested by the federal government to help keep two of the main reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, from falling to critically low levels.

Under the agreement, California, Arizona and Nevada would voluntarily cut their use of water from the West’s most important river by at least 3 million acre-feet by 2026, including 1.5 million next year. An acre-foot is the amount a typical family of four uses in a year. The proposed cuts aren’t expected to have severe impacts on farms or cities but would add incrementally to voluntary reductions already in place.  

The Interior Department will now be asked to sign off on the deal, which came about after California dropped some of its previous objections amid heavy corporate lobbying efforts in Sacramento.

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‍Source: Wall Street Journal