Four Western states are paying farmers and ranchers tens of millions of dollars this year to conserve water as part of a short-term plan to save water from the Colorado River.

A whopping three quarters of the river’s water that is used by humans goes to irrigation for farms and livestock, according to the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

This proposal could save the river system from imminent collapse, but in 2026, the current drought management guidelines will expire.

Amid regional efforts to conserve the Colorado River’s flow, the U.S. government argues it has no duty to enforce Navajo water rights.

California did not sign on to a proposal from six other states.

The seven states have until late January to agree on massive water conservation measures or the feds say they’ll impose cuts. 

It’s been almost two months since the basin states blew past a federal deadline to negotiate major water conservation.

On of the state’s major sources of water, the Colorado River, has fallen to historic lows.

Several states in the West had 60 days to figure something out, and the government hasn’t offered much guidance.

The seven states can’t agree on who should make cuts where. Now the federal government might make those choices for them.