SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. There's a new federal plan for sharing the limited water of the Colorado River. The Interior Department's proposal, released yesterday, calls for potentially huge cuts in water use in coming years for California, Arizona and Nevada. The Colorado River provides water for more than 40 million people in seven U.S. states and dozens of tribal communities but is facing severe drought conditions fueled by climate change and continued heavy demands. Alex Hager covers water issues at member station KJZZ in Phoenix. Alex, thanks for being with us.
ALEX HAGER, BYLINE: Thank you for having me.
SIMON: I gather this federal plan's a 10-year framework. What are the biggest changes?
HAGER: The river is vital for big cities, small towns and a huge farming industry across the Southwest. And this new plan offers a very wide range for how much water could be cut from them. Under the worst-case scenario, the federal government could cut water by up to 40% for Arizona, California and Nevada. That would be massive. The plan forces states to come together every two years and adjust the rules. Some experts say that's not the kind of long-term stability these cities and farms need. I talked about it with Elizabeth Koebele, who researches water policy at the University of Nevada, Reno.
ELIZABETH KOEBELE: I'm not very confident that there's a lot in here that would get us beyond the challenges we've seen over the last couple years and this pattern of managing crisis to crisis that the basin has really been in lately.
HAGER: The Interior Department is expected to announce the exact size of cuts for the next two years in the coming days or weeks.
SIMON: And of course, the Colorado River Basin's facing some of the most severe drought conditions on record. How are the states most affected - Arizona, California and Nevada - preparing for the potential cuts?
HAGER: Yeah. We expect the hardest hits will come for Arizona, specifically the millions of people in the Phoenix area. But taps are not going to go dry anytime soon. That's because local utilities have been preparing for this day for years. The Colorado River is not their only source of water. So when they get less from the Colorado, they can lean a little harder on a different source, like groundwater or a different nearby river. But shifting to new sources and planning for the long-term future - that will be difficult and expensive.
SIMON: Alex, what's the reaction been from these three states?
HAGER: There's some disappointment so far. In Arizona, leaders say the worst cuts proposed under this plan are unacceptable and that they would devastate Arizona's economy. Arizona's U.S. senators, both Democrats - they said the cuts put a really unfair burden on the state. But Arizona officials do not expect that those big 40% cuts will become a reality, at least for the next two years. They have a counterproposal that they hope the federal government will implement. They are volunteering big cutbacks - you know, about 20% less water. It's still a big deal, but they would deal a little less pain to the Phoenix area.
SIMON: And what's ahead for this plan? Is it already done?
HAGER: Water managers say this new plan leaves the door open for states to come back to the negotiating table and finally agree. Tensions are still really high, but John Berggren with the conservation group Western Resource Advocates says this new plan could make a difference.
JOHN BERGGREN: Clearly, the last 2 1/2 years of negotiations hasn't worked, so let's change it up. Let's use this as an opportunity, as a pivot point to start something new and get to that seven-state agreement.
HAGER: But there are still some deep, fundamental disagreements between the states in these negotiations. The upstream states - Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico - they argue they shouldn't have to take mandatory cuts at all because they already get less water due to drought and climate change. So the states are still far apart, and some of them haven't ruled out suing each other or the federal government.
SIMON: Reporter Alex Hager with member station KJZZ in Phoenix. Thanks so much.
HAGER: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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