State official outlines proposed federal cuts to Colorado River water for Arizona, California and Nevada.
A U.S. plan for sharing the waters of the drought-stricken Colorado River would require Arizona, California and Nevada to cut their water use by a fifth in the next two years and to make even deeper reductions later, a senior water official from one of those states said on Monday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said the plan should also include reductions for Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, the four other states deadlocked over the future of a river that provides drinking water to one in 10 Americans, irrigates land producing around 15% of U.S. food output and fills reservoirs that provide power to over 6 million people in the region.
