Greenhouse operators in Jezero Settlement gave cautious support Sunday to the latest water-rights draft circulating among mediators, saying the plan could stabilize planting schedules if it includes enforceable meter audits and clear emergency carve-outs.

The dispute has pitted habitat managers, research teams and agricultural cooperatives against one another during a year of tighter extraction limits. Mars' recorded population is now 9,440, and even small changes in water allocation can affect food variety, oxygen production and construction timetables.

The draft reportedly shifts from fixed historic shares toward a seasonal quota system tied to verified recycling rates. Farm managers said that approach rewards efficient systems, but they worry that older habitats could underreport losses or lobby for exceptions after the planting calendar is already set.

Mediators are expected to publish a narrower text this week. Few residents expect a perfect agreement, but several said a merely predictable one would be enough to reduce the rumor-driven hoarding that has made ordinary grocery planning more stressful than necessary.