Washington — The Biden administration floated two ideas this week to reduce water usage from the dwindling Colorado River, which supplies 40 million people.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline for seven U.S. states, dozens of Native American tribes, and two states in Mexico. It irrigates nearly 5.5 million acres of farmland in the U.S. and Mexico and generates hydroelectric power used across the West.
In recent decades, drought, climate change and an imbalance between the river’s flows and how much water users are promised has forced federal officials to consider new steps...