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The federal government is stepping in to help resolve a long-running dispute between seven Western states and 30 tribal nations over access to the shrinking Colorado River, as negotiators miss multiple deadlines to reach a new water management agreement.
The river supplies drinking water and irrigation to tens of millions of people across the West, but the system that divides its water, based on agreements more than a century old, is under increasing strain after years of drought and declining reservoir levels.
Interim guidelines used for nearly two decades to manage shortages are set to expire at the end of the year.
Without consensus among states, the Department of the Interior is moving forward with its own proposal, with a deadline of Oct. 1 to establish new rules.
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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement that he believes a fair compromise is still possible.
Yuma, Arizona, is known as the “winter lettuce capital of the world.” The region produces about 90% of the nation’s leafy vegetables during the winter months.
“We also pick up cabbage, and broccoli, and cauliflower, the whole salad bar, if you will,” said John Boelts, president of the Arizona Farm Bureau.
Farmers in the region rely almost entirely on Colorado River water for irrigation and face potentially steep cuts under future agreements.
“We do have groundwater available, but it’s not of good enough quality,” Boelts said. “We don’t even use it for irrigation. We use Colorado River water. It really makes the crop. We really can’t get by without it.”
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The Colorado River system is divided into two regions, the Upper Basin, which consists of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, and the Lower Basin, which is Arizona, Nevada and California.
Under current rules, Upper Basin states are not required to reduce water use when reservoir levels fall. They have resisted new mandatory cuts in future agreements, arguing they already reduce usage during dry periods.
“The lower basin is saying, ‘Come on. You know this system administration is a supremely overallocated system that doesn’t really have reference to getting water into Lake Powell,’” said Sarah Porter, a water policy expert.
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Arizona has already absorbed some of the deepest cuts in recent years. Farmers in Yuma say they are doing what they can to conserve water, carefully managing irrigation and limiting usage.
“We only give the crop what it needs,” Boelts said. “We haven’t irrigated this field in about two weeks.”
Still, uncertainty over future water allocations is making it difficult for farmers to plan next year’s crops.
Boelts said he remains hopeful that a deal can be reached before the current guidelines expire, but acknowledged the stakes are high for agriculture and communities across the region.