The Department of the Interior released a two‑year operating plan on Friday that mandates deep reductions in Colorado River water use for the three lower‑basin states. Arizona, California and Nevada must cut their allocations through 2028 as the river’s two flagship reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, sit at historic lows.
Cut amounts and percentages
Under the plan, Arizona will see the steepest reduction, losing 760,000 acre‑feet of water – roughly a 27% cut. Nevada’s allocation will drop by 50,000 acre‑feet, a 16% reduction, while California will trim 440,000 acre‑feet, about a 10% cut. In Arizona, the cuts translate to a 50% reduction for users who rely on Colorado River water, according to Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University.
State reactions
Arizona Department of Water Resources director Tom Buschatzke called the outcome “a pretty good outcome,” noting that the reductions were less severe than could have been imposed. Arizona’s Democratic senators, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, issued a joint statement supporting the new guidelines.
California’s Metropolitan Water District of Southern California said its general manager, Shivaji Deshmukh, will work with agricultural and urban users to meet the required cuts, but emphasized the need for a longer‑term agreement that includes all seven basin states.
Background and legal concerns
The plan follows a July framework from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that set the stage for water‑sharing parameters over the next decade, with mandatory adjustments every two years. The new guidelines cover the first two‑year period, leaving the upper‑basin states—Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico—without mandatory cuts.
Experts warn that the plan may trigger litigation as states grapple with how to share the shrinking resource. The Nature Conservancy’s Colorado River Program director, Celene Hawkins, said some basin states appear to be preparing for lawsuits.
Why the river is in crisis
The Colorado River supplies water to about 40 million people and irrigates more than 5 million acres of farmland. A climate‑driven megadrought, soaring temperatures and decades of high demand have dramatically lowered reservoir levels. Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, is now at its lowest point since its creation nine decades ago, and Lake Powell reached a record low on August 15.
The 1922 Colorado River Compact originally allocated 7.5 million acre‑feet annually to both the upper and lower basins, based on a much smaller population and wetter climate. With the river’s flow now far below those historic assumptions, the compact is no longer workable, prompting the current federal intervention.
Looking ahead
The two‑year plan is an interim measure until the basin states can reach a comprehensive agreement. After 2028, the cuts will be reassessed, and the states may continue negotiations to replace the federal guidelines with a mutually accepted pact.
Stakeholders caution that without a durable, basin‑wide solution, the Southwest could face a water crisis that threatens both municipal supplies and agricultural productivity for years to come.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
