Colorado River cuts set to disrupt farming in Western states
PBS NewsHourAPR 2022
These restrictions are exacerbated by Colorado River Basin states failing to devise their own water conservation plans. The federal government asked the states to prepare a plan in June for this climate-catalyzed drought, and they failed to do so. The federal government had no choice but to enact these measures when state governments didn't develop innovative measures to tackle the crisis on their own.
State agencies and nonprofits recognize that these federal restrictions are a band-aid to buy more time. Ultimately the solution - to reduce water consumption across the region - will come from state and local levels. This is an unprecedented crisis, and states and local governments will be the ones to take on the mantle of water sustainability in the long run.