Under federal pressure, Colorado River water managers face unprecedented call for conservation

Touton finished her remarks with the threat.

If the seven states that rely on the Colorado River can’t cut their own use, the federal government is prepared to do it for them, Touton said. She gave a 60-day deadline to craft a deal.

“Between 2 and 4 million acre-feet of additional conservation is needed just to protect critical levels in 2023,” Touton said.

To compare, the entire state of Colorado uses about 2.2 million acre-feet from the river each year.

Agriculture uses the vast majority of the Southwest’s scarce water supplies. Between 75% and 80% of the Colorado River’s water flows to romaine lettuce, alfalfa hay and fruit orchards from Colorado to Mexico.

https://www.kunr.org/energy-and-environment/2022-06-27/under-federal-pressure-colorado-river-water-managers-face-unprecedented-call-for-conservation