Recently, federal officials announced that Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico are set to receive less water from the Colorado River amid drought conditions in the region. This comes as the program that pays ranchers and farmers to conserve water in four states is stuck in the U.S. House.

 

The System Conservation Pilot Program was launched initially in 2015 through 2018 and was resuscitated in 2022 and again the following year. The program received $125 million in federal funding but has since been in limbo as S. 154 is held at the desk in the House after passing the Senate. If passed, the bill would extend funding through fiscal year 2026 for the Bureau of Reclamation's pilot projects to increase resource levels in the Upper Colorado River Basin and Lake Mead. Lawmakers now have until 2026 to spend the designated funding from the Biden-era package named the Inflation Reduction Act.

Further, Arizona will go without 18% of its water allocation, Mexico will be reduced by 5%, Nevada will stay at its 7% allowance. However, California won't see any cuts because of its senior rights standing. With that, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced on August 15 that Lake Mead and Lake Powell could see steep declines in the coming years which would further dampen the water issues in the region.