The states comprising the Lower Colorado River Basin area plan to use less water this year. According to a recent statement from officials in California, Arizona, and Nevada, these states are working collectively to conserve water along the system
Under the 1922 Colorado River Compact, the three states are allocated 7.5 million acre-feet of water each year. This new decision followed years of tense negotiations and ahead of the Biden Administration’s long-term protection effort announced for 2026.
Arizona has reportedly conserved nearly 345,000 acre-feet of water this year through payments to water users and farmers.
Nevada is also reportedly making extra cuts to its water allocation, which is the smallest of all the states included under the regulations. Specifically, the state plans to use less than 200,000 acre-feet of water from the Colorado River this year, which would mark the lowest annual water use since 1993.
California controls the largest part of the Colorado River at more than four million acre-feet and plans to drop usage by 700,000 acre-feet.
