California, other states reach impasse over Colorado River

Alfalfa and other forage grasses — water-intensive crops used to feed dairy cows and cattle — dominate the acreage, carpeting more than half of the farmland. Imperial also producesInstead of signing the proposal from the other states, the Imperial Irrigation District and the other Southern California water agencies presented their own plan today. It closely resemblesto cut annual withdrawals by 400,000 acre-feet per year at least through 2026.

The steep decline in the river’s supply has induced an escalating panic during the past five years. Last summer, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton asked the states in the Colorado River basin for a plan to reduce use of the river’s water by 2 to 4 million acre-feet each year within 60 days. The soft deadline passed quietly.

The six-state proposal suggests that lower basin states – California, Arizona and Nevada – plus Mexico cut their usage by 1.5 million acre-feet when the elevation of Lake Mead drops below 1,145 feet, to account for water lost to evaporation, which current allocation systems do not consider.The proposal suggests further water cuts as the lake declines past specific trigger points. At a level below 1,020 feet, California would retain 3 million of its full 4.4 million acre-foot entitlement.

“We need to continue discussions among all 7 Basin States and to engage directly with tribal leaders and others as we prepare to move forward with the components,” said Estevan Lopez, New Mexico Colorado River Commissioner in a statement.

They need to prioritize where water use goes. No one wants to pay more for food. Look at the egg prices fiasco. Where the water should not be going is golf courses and lawns.

California has it's own proposal. All the states need cuts but if you want to cripple the economy in a state like California that's going to impact food prices all across the U.S.

California needs to be cut off. If Israel can do it so can california with such huge coast line

California needs to build desalination plants along the coast instead of deny them like the one on Huntington Beach & build reservoirs with the $2.7B water bond approved by voters in 2014.

The other 6 states should just cut off the supply to CA and let them figure it out. Recapture storm water and use river systems from northern CA

JoeDelBosque What made this region a must to grow crops in despite its harsh climate?

feed the smelt or whatever little fish they used as an excuse to dump water into the ocean to the salmon they were put there to feed and give the farmers back their water!!!

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