Colorado tells Lower Basin states to cut water use to meet federal demand to conserve
Colorado has no plans to make additional cuts to water use next year to meet the Bureau of Reclamation’s demand to conserve millions of acre-feet of water, a step needed to preserve power production in Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Instead, Colorado officials insist that other states should do the cutting. … [Amy Ostdiek, a section chief with the Colorado Water Conservation Board,] told The Gazette the Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah — dramatically reduced their water use in 2021 because of drought conditions. …But, at the same time, total water use in the Lower Basin has not been cut enough to preserve levels in the lakes, said Ostdiek.
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