Farmers, especially cotton and rice growers in those upstream states, account for 83% of the basin's consumed water.

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Cotton is an especially thirsty plant.

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Gap this month told investors it expects pressure from higher cotton costs to ease, helping it return to expanding merchandise margins, especially in the back half of 2012.

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Although the increase in cotton prices affected virtually every apparel company over the past year, companies like Aeropostale were hit especially hard.

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