Federal Officials Order Major Colorado River Water Cuts for Three States

Federal authorities announced Friday water restrictions for three Western states that rely on the Colorado River, effective over the next two years.

Under the Bureau of Reclamation's strategy, California, Nevada, and Arizona will collectively reduce water consumption by 1.25 million acre-feet (approximately 1.54 billion cubic meters) per year. Arizona faces the most substantial reductions among the three states. Upstream states, specifically Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico, will not be subjected to any cutbacks at present. Neighboring Mexico is also set to decrease its water allocation by 250,000 acre-feet (approximately 310 million cubic meters) under a cross-border treaty with the U.S. Andrea Travnicek, the Interior Department’s assistant secretary for water and science, stated that the region has been in a "26-year prolonged drought period" and expects a continued prolonged drought in the future.

The existing framework regulating waterway use is set to expire in October, and the seven basin states have not yet reached a consensus on a long-term sharing agreement. Decades of excessive extraction, combined with persistent drought and rising temperatures, have depleted the nation's two largest reservoirs fed by the Colorado River. Lake Mead recently dropped to its lowest point since it was filled nine decades ago, and Lake Powell hit its own record low roughly a week later.

Their combined reserves stand at their lowest level in nearly seven decades. The Colorado River Basin experienced the worst snowpack on record last winter, increasing pressure on agriculture, commercial industry, ecological habitats, and hydroelectric producers, as well as tens of millions of consumers, including dozens of Native American tribes and two states in Mexico. Water officials in Arizona thanked California and Nevada for their collaboration on how to divide the required cutbacks.

Decades ago, Arizona secured funding for a major Colorado River project by agreeing to be the first to face cuts during a severe drought, a condition the Trump administration now states has been met.