California holdout in agreement over Colorado River cuts

By FELICIA FONSECA and SUMAN NAISHADHAM
Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Six western states that rely on water from the Colorado River have agreed on a model to dramatically cut their use. California, the state with the largest allocation of water from the river, is the holdout. The Colorado River serves 40 million people and a $5 billion-a-year agricultural industry. While the states missed a mid-August deadline to heed the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s call to conserve 2 million to 4 million acre-feet, they regrouped to reach consensus by the end of January. The outline will factor into a larger proposal on how to operate the two largest dams on the river. California released a plan in October to cut 400,000 acre feet but didn’t sign on to Monday’s plan.