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      colorado river compact

      Lake Mead and Colorado River

      Report Details How Big Ag Overexploitation Is 'Draining the Colorado River Dry'

      "We cannot save the Colorado River without combating corporate power."

      Brett Wilkins
      Aug 08, 2023

      As the dwindling Colorado River faces a potential "catastrophic collapse" due to the climate-driven loss of trillions of gallons of water, a report published Tuesday shines a spotlight on the dangerous overexploitation of the precious resource by specific sectors of industrial agriculture—and the federal government's failure to address Big Ag's abuses.

      The Food & Water Watch report—entitledBig Ag Is Draining the Colorado River Dry—focuses on how "alfalfa farms and the aggressive proliferation of megadairies" are "sucking the Colorado dry," and on "prolonged governmental refusal to rein in the most egregious offenders."

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      Lake Mead

      'Not a Panacea': Experts Say More Cuts Needed as States Agree to Reduce Colorado River Use

      "The only way to solve the long-term shortage on the Colorado River is to take a lot less water out of the system," said one agricultural economics professor. "Which necessarily means permanent reductions in crops grown."

      Brett Wilkins
      May 22, 2023

      California, Arizona, and Nevada on Monday struck a deal with the Biden administration in which the states agreed to take less water from the dangerously overdrawn Colorado River—an agreement cautiously welcomed by conservationists, who warned that the cuts are insufficient to stabilize a system upon which tens of millions of people rely.

      Monday's breakthrough agreement follows nearly a year of negotiations and missed deadlines and involves the Biden administration, the three states, Indigenous tribes, water management districts, and agribusinesses. Under the plan, the federal government will distribute around $1.2 billion worth of Inflation Reduction Act funds to cities, tribes, and water districts if they cut back on water use. The three states agreed to use 3 million acre-feet less water between them by the end of 2026. This would amount to 13% of their total Colorado River allocation.

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