$125 million to rent water for Colorado River drought
Upper Colorado River Basin states have a new $125 million pot to rent and dry agricultural land and keep more water in the drought-plagued waterway, in a major expansion of a previous conservation pilot announced by the Biden administration’s Bureau of Reclamation. Colorado politicians called the new funding key to the state’s ability to make its share of emergency water use cuts ordered by federal officials who are scrambling to keep enough water in the major basin reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, and meet minimum allocations to Lower Basin states. About 40 million people rely on Colorado River water. The system pilot pays farmers, ranchers and other river users, potentially including municipal or industrial consumers, for temporary and voluntary use of their valuable water rights.
Related articles:
- The Hill: Hickenlooper rallies senators to help accelerate Colorado River compromise
- Colorado Politics: Colorado River conservation program that offers money to farmers gets $125 million boost from feds
- U.S. Department of the Interior: Biden-Harris Administration Delivers $728 Million in Historic Investments to Address Western Drought, Improve Climate Resilience
- Christian Science Monitor: Tapped out - An Arizona community symbolizes West’s water woes
- Slate: How the Colorado River crisis affects hydropower
- Newsweek: When will the megadrought gripping Southwestern states end?
