Tuesday Top of the Scroll: Four Colorado River states, feds ramp up water ‘credit’ negotiations
Colorado River officials in four states, including Colorado, are negotiating a new agreement with the federal government to conserve water and get credit to protect against possible cutbacks in the future. Water conservation is a big issue in the Colorado River Basin, where prolonged drought, a changing climate and overuse have strained the water supply for 40 million people. Currently, water conserved on a farm simply reenters streams and can be used by anyone downstream. The negotiations aim to set up a program to track, count and store that water so it can benefit the four Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Related articles and news release:
- CBS 8 News Now: Expect Las Vegas water shortage to remain in effect as Lake Mead projections come out
- Arizona Republic: Tribes, conservationists look to future as AZ monument marks its 1st year
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation: Bureau of Reclamation releases finding of no significant impact for final environmental assessment for proposed water conservation agreement
