The Colorado River is planning to be taken over by the state after negotiations stalled
NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
The federal government is stepping in to help resolve a long-running dispute between seven Western states and 30 tribes over access to the dwindling Colorado River, as negotiators miss several deadlines to reach a new water management agreement.
The river provides drinking and irrigation water to tens of millions of people in the West, but the system that divides its water, based on agreements more than a century old, is under increasing pressure after years of drought and declining dam levels.
Temporary guidelines used for nearly two decades to manage the deficit will expire at the end of the year.
Despite the agreement between the regions, the Ministry of the Interior is moving forward with its proposal, with a deadline of Oct. 1 to set new rules.
FARMERS ARE QUICKLY ALERT TO CHANGING CLIMATE DUE TO DROUGHT
Yuma farmers rely almost entirely on the Colorado River to irrigate crops. (Amalia Roy)
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement that he believes a compromise is still possible.
Yuma, Arizona, is known as the “winter lettuce capital of the world.” This region produces about 90% of the nation’s leafy vegetables during the winter months.
“We also pick up cabbage, and broccoli, and cauliflower, the whole salad, if you will,” said John Boelts, president of the Arizona Farm Bureau.
Yuma farmers harvest winter lettuce from November to April. (Amalia Roy)
Farmers in the region rely almost entirely on Colorado River water for irrigation and face potentially steep cuts under future contracts.
“We have groundwater available, but it’s not at a good enough level,” Boelts said. “We don’t even use them for irrigation. We use water from the Colorado River. It really builds crops. We can’t live without it.”
WEST ISLAND DRYING LEAVES FEEDING AREAS STRUGGLING AND RAISES WATER CONCERNS
The Colorado River system is divided into two regions, the Upper Basin, which contains Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, and the Lower Basin, which is Arizona, Nevada and California.
Under current rules, Upper Basin districts are not required to reduce water use when reservoir levels drop. They oppose new mandatory reductions in future agreements, saying they already reduce consumption during dry periods.
“The bottom line is, ‘Come on. You know this management plan is a very comprehensive plan that doesn’t say anything about getting water into Lake Powell,'” said Sarah Porter, a water policy expert.
There are seven counties in the Colorado River Basin. Negotiations are still on hold due to disagreements between the Upper and Lower Basin states. (Amalia Roy)
FLORIDA DROUGHT TURNS CITRUS CROP NAMES AS HEALTH COSTS, DISEASE.
Arizona has already absorbed some deep cuts in recent years. Yuma farmers say they are doing everything they can to conserve water, carefully managing irrigation and limiting its use.
“We only give the crop what we need,” said Boelts. “We haven’t watered this field for two weeks.”
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
However, uncertainty about future water allocation makes it difficult for farmers to plan next year’s crops.
Boelts said he still hopes that an agreement can be reached before the current guidelines expire, but he admitted that these numbers are high in agriculture and communities throughout the region.
