(ANSA) — NEW YORK, Jan. 27 — It is unlikely that the seven states that depend on the water of the dried-up Colorado River will voluntarily make such deep cuts in water consumption that would force the federal government to for the first time cut off the water supply to 40 million Americans.
According to the New York Times, the Interior Department has asked states to voluntarily put in place a plan by January 31 to collectively reduce the amount of water they withdraw from Colorado.
The call for these cuts, on a scale unprecedented in US history, was prompted by the rapid decline of Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which supply water and electricity to Arizona, Nevada, and Southern California. Drought, climate change, and population growth have caused the water level in the lakes to drop.
Still, the chances of a voluntary agreement appear slim, and it would be the second time in six months that states that depend on the river, as well as Arizona, Nevada and California, including Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, have not met the consensus deadline. The cuts demanded by the Biden administration in an effort to avert a catastrophic collapse of the river system. (Dealing).
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