Arizona, California and Nevada would share cuts under federal proposal to manage the Colorado River
The framework could require up to 3 million acre-feet in collective cuts, while giving officials flexibility to adjust reservoir operations every two years.
- On Friday, July 31, 2026, the Trump administration released a 10-year framework for managing Colorado River water shortages, stabilizing the system as old operating guidelines expire at year-end.
- Years of deadlocked negotiations between Upper Basin and Lower Basin states necessitated federal intervention as reservoirs dropped to record-low levels and 20-year operating guidelines approached expiration.
- Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the framework provides "flexibility" to respond to hydrologic conditions, allowing up to 3 million acre-feet in annual Lower Basin reductions during severe drought years.
- California, Arizona, and Nevada will reduce water usage by 3.2 million acre-feet through 2028 under a two-year deal, avoiding the harshest potential cuts as officials finalize the framework.
- Federal authorities will revisit management decisions every two years through 2036, though Arizona officials noted potential legal challenges if states fail to reach a long-term consensus.
93 Articles
93 Articles
The Trump administration's ‘draconian’ water cuts could gut Arizona’s Colorado River supply
A Central Arizona Project canal carries Colorado River water to the Phoenix metropolitan area. (Photo by DougVonGausig/Getty Images)A new federal plan released Friday could mean cuts of up to 77% to Arizona’s share of Colorado River water, in the midst of a 25-year megadrought, something that state leaders say would cause catastrophic harm to the state’s economy. “Such reductions would devastate Arizona’s water users and its economy,” the Arizo…
Nevada faces ‘unrealistic reductions’ in ‘fundamentally flawed’ Colorado River plan, officials say
The Colorado River is pictured just beyond the upper reaches of Lake Powell. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)The federal government has released its long-awaited 10-year plan to manage worsening water shortages along the Colorado River, including deep cuts to Nevada’s allocation of the drought-stricken river. Following months of negotiations — and years of states failing to reach an agreement on their own — the Bureau of Reclamat…
These areas of the United States will have to drastically reduce the consumption of Colorado River water in the next decade, said President Donald Trump's government.
Federal proposal would deeply cut Colorado River water for Arizona, California and Nevada
The U.S. government proposed deep cuts to water supply for Arizona, California and Nevada during dry years in a new plan it released on Friday to operate the drought-stricken Colorado River.
Federal Plan Would Cut Colorado River Water Supplies for California, Arizona and Nevada
Internewscast Journal Internewscast Arizona, California and Nevada would draw less water from the Colorado River… This Post: Federal Plan Would Cut Colorado River Water Supplies for California, Arizona and Nevada first appeared on Internewscast Journal
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