A U.S. plan for sharing the waters of the drought-stricken Colorado River would require Arizona, California, and Nevada to cut their water use by a fifth in the next two years and to make even deeper reductions later, a senior water official from one of those states said on Monday.

Proposed Cuts

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expected this week to adopt a short-term proposal by Arizona, California, and Nevada, known as the Lower Basin states, to cut their water use by 1.6 million acre feet in 2027 and 2028, for a total of 3.2 million acre feet, equivalent to cutting their current allotment by 21%, the state official said.

The cuts for Lower Basin states could nearly double in 2029 through 2036 to up to 3 million acre feet in each of those years to maintain critical reservoir water levels, the official said. The 10-year plan would be up for review every two years, based on water conditions.

The Lower Basin states had earlier agreed to cut water use by 21% and are calling on the federal government to also impose reductions on the Upper Basin states.

A Reclamation draft plan proposed voluntary water conservation by Upper Basin states but no mandatory cuts.

The states have been negotiating for three years on how to replace a current 20-year plan that expires at the end of 2026.

Federal intervention could be met by state lawsuits that might mean years more uncertainty for the river.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.