states under a series of agreements that date back a century, to a time when more flowed.īut climate change has transformed the river's hydrology, providing less snowmelt and causing hotter temperatures and more evaporation. Water from the river is divided among Mexico and the seven U.S. About 70% of its water goes toward irrigation, sustaining a $15 billion-a-year agricultural industry that supplies 90% of the United States’ winter vegetables. It’s the primary water supply for 40 million people. The Colorado River cascades from the Rocky Mountains into the arid deserts of the Southwest. ![]() Agricultural districts in those states are asking to be paid generously to bear that burden.īut the tentative agreements fall short of what the Bureau of Reclamation has demanded and state officials say they hope for more time to negotiate details. Officials party to discussions said the most likely targets for cuts are Arizona and California farmers. Representatives from the seven states convened in Denver last week for last minute negotiations behind closed doors. ![]() "It’s not fun sitting around a table figuring out who is going to sacrifice and how much," said Bill Hasencamp, the Colorado River resources manager at Metropolitan Water District, which provides water to most of Southern California. Tensions over the extent of the cuts and how to spread them equitably have flared, with states pointing fingers and stubbornly clinging to their water rights despite the looming crisis. "The challenges we are seeing today are unlike anything we have seen in our history," Camille Touton, the bureau’s commissioner, said at a U.S.
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