US presents Colorado River water sharing plan

The US government has proposed 10-year guidelines for sharing the drought-stricken Colorado River, which provides water to one in 10 Americans and irrigates 15% of US food output.

By Andrew Hay July 28 (Reuters) -

The ​U.S. government on ​Friday announced proposed ‌guidelines for ​sharing the drought-stricken Colorado River, which provides water to ‌one in 10 Americans, irrigates land producing 15% of U.S. food output and generates power for ‌6 million people in seven states. The seven ‌states who share the waters -- Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, California and Nevada -- were unable ⁠to agree on ​how ⁠to divide the resource after over three years ⁠of talks to replace a plan that expires this ​year. So the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation ⁠intervened with a 10-year plan through 2036 designed to ⁠provide ​flexibility to operate the river's two largest reservoirs - Lake Powell and Lake Mead - based on ⁠the river's changing conditions, according to a final environmental ⁠impact ⁠statement released by the agency.