Seven states have reached a “historic consensus” on conserving water from the Colorado River in the western United States, a breakthrough in a region where persistent drought has made water allocation a point of debate.
In a statement on Monday, the US Department of the Interior (DOI) said that the three states that make up the Colorado River Basin — Arizona, California and Nevada — had agreed to voluntary measures to conserve 3 million acre-feet of water, or 3.7 billion cubic metres, through 2026. That amounts to using approximately 13 percent less water over three years.
