US EditionChance of Colorado River Deal Is ‘Tenuous’ Just Two Months Before Federal Deadline, Negotiator Says
Nevada and Arizona face reductions of 7% and 18% in their Colorado River water allocations due to ongoing drought and overuse, prompting urgent renegotiations among Lower Basin states.
- On Aug. 29, 2025, SNWA deputy general manager Colby Pellegrino warned negotiations were in a difficult spot as the Bureau of Reclamation cuts Nevada's allocation by 7% and Arizona's by 18% this year.
- Facing prolonged drought, officials note that climate change, overuse and drought have strained the Colorado River and Lake Mead, with projections showing Lake Powell could fall low enough by November 2026 to stop turbines.
- The Colorado River supports 40 million people, irrigates more than 5 million acres, and allocates Nevada 300,000 acre-feet yearly within the Lower Basin states' water rights.
- If states remain deadlocked, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will impose its own plan, likely triggering costly litigation; California avoids cuts due to senior water rights, while Arizona already reduced usage by 900,000 acre-feet in 2024 and 800,000 in 2025.
- The states face formal deadlines—they must inform the federal government by Nov. 11 and submit a plan by Feb. 14—while the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's $8.3 billion and SNWA's `fire drill` shape next steps.
12 Articles
12 Articles
The Fort Morgan Times
Chance of Colorado River deal is ‘tenuous’ just two months before federal deadline, negotiator says
The likelihood of Western states reaching a consensus on a plan for the future of the Colorado River is dimming as time runs out for the negotiators tasked with dividing up the shrinking river relied upon by 40 million people. “The path to success seems tenuous at this point,” Arizona’s negotiator, Tom Buschatzke, said in an interview this week with The Denver Post. “The discussions continue to revolve around the main issue that we’ve been strug…
Mohave Daily News
Las Vegas SunNevada warns of tough choices as Colorado River deadline approaches
There’s around a year left for the seven states utilizing Colorado River water to finalize new rules on how to manage it, but the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s Colby Pellegrino said Thursday morning that negotiations were in a difficult spot.
Nevada Current
Utah News DispatchAs November deadline nears, Colorado River states ‘nowhere close to an agreement’
Nevada Democratic Rep. Susie Lee's congressional district includes half of the Hoover Dam. (Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current)Amid tense negotiations over the Colorado River’s future, Nevada leaders came together Thursday to focus on the state’s strategy to meet the climate and drought crisis threatening Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. Democratic Rep. Susie Lee, whose district falls within the boundaries of Lake Mead and half of the Hoover Dam…
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