Battle Over Colorado River Water Ends In A Draw - CleanTechnica

The ongoing dispute among the seven U.S. states relying on the Colorado River for drinking water and irrigation has reached an impasse, with the states twice failing to meet federal deadlines to resolve the chronic water shortage. The core problem is that water withdrawals exceed natural replenishment, causing historically low levels in key reservoirs Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Experts estimate that to address the imbalance, the states must collectively reduce water demand by up to four million acre-feet annually—an enormous volume equivalent to covering thousands of football fields with a foot of water. The Colorado River spans seven states and Mexico, supplying roughly 40 million people and irrigating 5.5 million acres of farmland, supporting $1.4 trillion in economic activity and vital ecosystems. Legal disputes complicate negotiations, rooted in historic water rights based on the principle of “first in time, first in right.” Upper basin states (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico) hold longstanding agreements but blame the lower basin states (Arizona, Nevada,