Landmark agreement reached to conserve Colorado River water and prevent crisis.

The Biden administration has reached a deal with California, Arizona, and Nevada to conserve 3 million acre-feet of water from the drought-stricken Colorado River until 2026, in exchange for at least $1 billion in federal funding. The river supplies water to over 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of farmland in seven U.S. states. The agreement will compensate cities, water districts, Native American tribes, and farm operators for 2.3 million acre-feet of savings using funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. The temporary agreement will avoid a situation where the federal government imposes unilateral water cuts on all seven states.