For the last several decades, the American West has been subject to a water shortage. The main culprits for this crisis are record longstanding drought seasons and unsustainable water practices, all amplified by the effects of a changing climate. And there is a pressing need for a water-saving plan for the future, given that last month, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton warned Congress that area waters of the Colorado River Basin are at perilously low levels and the surrounding states would need to reduce their diversions by an amount in the range of 2 to 4 million acre-feet in 2022. The water crisis of the West needs a serious intervention and Robert Glennon, Professor  Emeritus of Law & Public Policy at the University of Arizona, has some innovative ways to achieve that future.

 

The Conversation | A water strategy for the parched West: Have cities pay farmers to install more efficient irrigation systems

 

Photo by Leslie Cross on Unsplash

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