The Biden administration has reached a three-year deal with western states to conserve water from the Colorado River. Under the agreement, the federal government will distribute $1.2 billion to water districts and tribes in California, Arizona and Nevada to compensate them for cutting back their water use. The plan hopes to slash water use from the Colorado River by 13%. Three decades of drought fueled by the climate crisis have reduced the river’s natural flow by about 20%. Conservationists welcomed the agreement but said a more permanent solution is needed to protect both the river and the 40 million people who rely on it for agriculture, drinking water and electricity.