Alex Hager

For the first time in a few years, the people who decide its future at CRWUA say there’s less urgency to find a solution and that’s a good thing.

The Imperial Irrigation District in California west of Yuma, which uses more Colorado River water than any other farm district or city in the West, has agreed to conserve 100,000 acre-feet in 2023 in exchange for payments from the federal government.

Last year’s wet winter may have created more space for long-term negotiations about sharing the Colorado River, but if the region sees low snow totals in the coming months, policy analysts say things could quickly turn in the wrong direction and reintroduce some urgency to water management talks.

That shift is reflected in a new draft management plan from the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency which operates major dams and reservoirs across the West.

States that use water from the Colorado River including Arizona are drawing nearer to an important deadline for negotiating the river’s future.

The Imperial Valley produces $2.9 billion in crops and livestock each year. That’s because the valley’s Imperial Irrigation District (IID) holds the largest single allocation of Colorado River water.

JB Hamby holds two jobs – he serves on the board of directors for the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and was recently appointed to be California’s top water negotiator.

The U.S. Drought monitor defines the Southwest as Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada.

Hot on the heels of a short-term agreement to cut back on Colorado River water use, states are looking ahead to talks about more permanent cuts.

If you want to see the Colorado River change in real time, head to Lake Powell.