Proposed rule will prevent wells from illegally draining Colorado River

Owners of wells in Arizona, California, and Nevada drain an estimated 5 billion gallons annually from the Colorado River. But, in a time when water for the desert is in high demand, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has proposed a rule that would require citizens who have drilled too closely to the river to have rights to the water they access, reports The Arizona Republic.

“A key goal of this rule is to help those well owners who are using Colorado River water without a legal entitlement become lawful users of that water,” Lorri Gray, director of the bureau’s Lower Colorado Region, points out. The rule is not intended to harm well owners, she says, but rather to ensure that those who do have rights are getting that to which they are entitled.

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Source: The Arizona Republic