In The American Southwest, The Water Crisis Threatens Existential Harm To Millions

The federal government has announced it will impose a new 10-year plan for dividing up water from the Colorado River, which supplies seven states: Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The river no longer carries enough water to meet the amounts promised to those states under a 1922 agreement, and after more than a decade of failed talks, Washington is stepping in. The plan takes effect in October and could cut water going to California, Arizona, and Nevada by up to 40 percent over time, with cuts of 1.25 million acre-feet starting in 2027 and 2028. An acre-foot is roughly 326,000 gallons, about enough to cover a football field a foot deep.

The stakes are highest in Arizona, where the Central Arizona Project canal delivers Colorado River water to Phoenix and other desert cities that otherwise would not have enough to sustain their populations. Phoenix gets about 40 percent of its water this way, and officials there are asking for federal money to help build plants that turn wastewater into drinking water, though that funding is not guaranteed.

For homeowners in the Southwest, this is a signal that water availability and pricing could tighten in the coming years, especially in Arizona, California, and Nevada. Rules and costs will vary by state and city, so it's worth watching what your local water utility says about future supply, rate changes, or conservation requirements as this plan takes effect.