Get Paid to Use Less Water? Colorado's New Plan Aims to Do Just That

Desperate times call for desperate measures. A new plan designed to save water will pay residents to reduce their use of this dwindling resource in the Colorado River Basin. Here is a closer look at the specifics of the plan.

Officials Brainstorm How to Pay Residents to Conserve Water

The Colorado River water crisis is getting worse as drought conditions persist across the part of the nation. Local officials have hatched a new plan that would pay residents to voluntarily use less water from the river. The plan is still in its early stages, as officials try to determine how the money would be divided between the participating states and how the water use would be lowered.

According to Amy Ostdiek, chief of the Colorado River Water Conservation Board, the group hopes to encourage participation among different sectors of the region. The pilot program could result in about a year's worth of water savings. A new federal plan released at the end of July could translate to cuts of up to 3 million acre-feet of water spread across areas in California, Nevada, and Arizona. For context, one acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, the amount needed for two average households over the course of a year.