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6 out of 7 Colorado River states have reached a deal to slash water usage, drying up farms and subdivisions across the Southwest. California, driven by opposition from powerful Imperial Valley farmers, is still holding out. Story in

@grist

grist.org

There’s a deal to save the Colorado River — if California doesn’t blow it up

The plan would cut water use on the Colorado River by roughly a quarter, drying up farms and subdivisions across the Southwest.

12:09 PM · Feb 1, 2023

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Featuring data visualization from the incomparable

@jtblaeser

showing just how severe these cuts would be. Arizona would lose about half its water during the driest years. grist.org/drought/colora

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and

This was a great read. What's the best thing to read on what it's going to take to actually put these cuts into practice or abide by them? What will they entail in terms of slower development etc?

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and

Thank you. The federal government has unilateral (we think) authority to adopt the cuts later this year and make them effective as of 1/1/2024. Effects for Los Angeles depend a lot on conditions in Sierra Nevada (which are decent), but effects in Phoenix…

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and

"But California, which takes more water than any other state..." This isn't really accurate, when you count the Gila River and its tributaries Arizona uses as much water as California, 4.4 maf. Both use as much as the entire Upper Basin combined.

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and

As you know, this article concerns ongoing negotiations to stabilize water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which have entailed cuts to main stem allocations. The Salt and Gila Rivers are downstream of those reservoirs.