2023-05-22 16:17:09
States in the western United States have reached an important agreement to save the arid Colorado River. As the US government announced in Washington on Monday, Arizona, California and Nevada have committed to saving a total of 3.7 billion cubic meters of water by the end of 2026. The government in Washington, which spoke of a “historic” agreement, compensates the three states for more than two-thirds of these savings.
The “New York Times” and the “Washington Post” spoke of around 1.2 billion dollars (around 1.1 billion euros) in state aid. The money is said to come from funds from the climate protection law passed last year called the Inflation Reduction Law.
The settlement came following difficult negotiations between the lower Colorado River basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – and the four upper basin states – Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
“40 million people, seven states and 30 Native American nations depend on the Colorado River basin for basic services, including drinking water and electricity,” said Home Secretary Deb Haaland. The agreement that has now been reached is proof of the government’s will to “find consensus solutions with all those involved in view of climate change and the ongoing drought”.
The Colorado River, which rises in the Rocky Mountains, is the lifeline of the western United States. The river supplies millions of people in the metropolises of Los Angeles and Phoenix, among others, as well as huge arable land. It is also used to generate electricity in hydroelectric power plants.
But following more than two decades of significantly below-average rainfall, the river has reached a critical point. This also applies to the Lake Powell and Lake Mead reservoirs, which are important for generating electricity.
The Colorado River is fed primarily by snowpack at high elevations, which slowly melts in the warmer months. However, the lower precipitation and higher temperatures caused by climate change mean that less snow falls. Although there was a lot of rain and snow last winter, this only eased the situation temporarily.
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