As concerns grow over the future of the drought-plagued Colorado River system, the Biden administration has announced how it intends to pay farmers, cities and Native American tribes in the Southwe…
system, the Biden administration has announced how it intends to pay farmers, cities and Native American tribes in the Southwest for significant, voluntary water cuts.in the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats’ recent climate law, and is primarily focused on encouraging water cuts in the three lower Colorado River Basin states — California, Arizona and Nevada.
And the longer they can agree to cut their water usage, the more money they will receive: A one-year agreement gets $330 per acre-foot, two years gets $365 per acre-foot, and three years gets $400 per acre-foot, according to the department.they are considering cutting hundreds of thousands of acre-feet per year. The department said the payout will be contingent on a confirmation those cuts were made.
The question now is whether states and stakeholders will use that money to make the kind of drastic cuts needed to save the river and avoid a full-blown water crisis in the West. Arizona Department of Water Resources director Tom Buschatzke, one of the main state negotiators, said he is worried too much priority will be given to compensating stakeholders for short-term cuts, instead of demanding long-term water conservation and systemic change.
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