California water agencies say they’re willing to cut their Colorado River use by about one-tenth. The four agencies laid out their proposal in a Wednesday letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior. It marks the first time the agencies are publicly saying what they'd be willing to give up since the federal government called for significant reductions in water use this summer.
The Colorado River provides about one-third of Southern California's urban water and is the only source of water for farms in the Imperial Valley. California is legally entitled to more water than any other state and is the last to lose it in times of shortage.
Water officials in Arizona and Nevada have asked for other states to step up, as drought and climate change shrink water supplies.