"Western States Agree to Water-Sharing Pact"

"LOS ANGELES -- Facing the worst drought in a century and the prospect that climate change could yield long-term changes on the Colorado River, the lifeline for several Western states, federal officials have reached a new pact with the states on how to allocate water if the river runs short. State and federal officials praised the agreement as a landmark akin to the Colorado River Compact of 1922, which first outlined how much water the seven states served by the river -- California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming -- would receive annually. The new accord, outlined by federal officials in a telephone news conference Friday, spells out how three downriver states -- California, Arizona and Nevada -- will share the impact of water shortages. It puts in place new measures to encourage conservation and manage the two primary reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which have gone from nearly full to just about half-empty since 1999." Randal C. Archibold rteports for the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/us/10water.html