Federal officials have announced sharp water cuts for the next two years for three Western states that rely on the imperiled Colorado River. Under the Bureau of Reclamation’s plan, California, Nevada and Arizona will reduce water use collectively by 1.25 million acre-feet annually during that period with the possibility of larger cuts depending on conditions. Arizona will see the biggest cuts. Upstream states Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico do not face any for now. Last winter saw the worst snowpack on record for the Colorado River Basin. That depleted critical reservoirs to record lows. The states have been unable to agree on how to share the water long term.

Arizona, California and Nevada would take less water from the Colorado River under a federal proposal to stave off a crisis in the river. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced the plan on Friday, allowing deeper cuts in drier times. Arizona and Nevada have faced cuts before, but this proposal could lead to more significant reductions, impacting agriculture, cities, and tribes. The proposal follows years of deadlocked negotiations among states. The Lower Basin states could face collective cuts up to 3 million acre-feet annually through 2036. That’s about enough water to serve more than 25 million people a year.