Deal Is Reached to Keep Colorado River From Going Dry, for Now

As a result, what looked until recently like a state-against-state cage match has produced an outcome that is more tolerable for the states involved, if not exactly welcome.

The rules that govern the river, which date to 1922, say that much of Arizona’s supply from the Colorado River would be cut to almost zero before California experienced reductions. Though Arizona would still see its water supply reduced significantly, the deal effectively removes the threat of drastic slashes.

“I am very happy with this proposal,” Tom Buschatzke, director of Arizona’s Department of Water Resources and the state’s lead negotiator in the talks, said on Monday. “I think there is a lot of equity in it.”

Sarah Porter, the director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University, called the agreement a positive step, but one that might only offer a stay of execution. “Before 2026 we could be back in that danger zone again,” she said.

California also fares better than might otherwise have been the case. The Interior Department raised the prospect of cutting each state’s supply equally, as a share of its total use. Because California uses more water from the Colorado than any other state, it would have lost the most — a shock to farmers in Southern California, as well as cities like Los Angeles and San Diego. Relying largely on voluntary reductions gets around that concern.

Bill Hasencamp, manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said the agreement could provide a few years of stability for Los Angeles, San Diego and other California cities that rely on water from the Colorado.