Bureau of Reclamation

A group of congress members from Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, California and Arizona is gathering to talk about the Colorado River and rally funding for Western water projects.

California officials say the state was not consulted as others that use water from the Colorado River drafted a six-state agreement to propose cutbacks. Representatives from Arizona, Utah and Colorado disagree.

Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico are asking the Bureau of Reclamation to pause water releases at Flaming Gorge Reservoir, which has been used to help prop up Lake Powell.

Lake Powell is shrinking as climate change and steady demand cause trouble for states that rely on the Colorado River. The Bureau of Reclamation is scrambling to keep hydropower generators running in Glen Canyon Dam.

States that use water from the Colorado River are facing a deadline from the Bureau of Reclamation. If they are unable to agree on cutbacks, the federal government could force use reductions as part of a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, or SEIS.

The Bureau of Reclamation filed a Notice of Intent to propose changes to the amount of water released from Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

The Department of the Interior designated $4 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act for drought mitigation in the Colorado River basin.

Ongoing warming in the Southwest has bottomed out major reservoirs on the Colorado River and raised alarms among cities and farms that rely on the water. But the region’s rapid warming and drying trend is also a threat to the environment in one of the world’s most recognizable wonders: the Grand Canyon.

Federal officials say they are ready to have a “candid conversation” about accounting for water lost to evaporation in the Colorado River’s Lower Basin. They are giving states until the end of 2024 to prepare for what would amount to a significant cut in annual water allocations to users in Nevada, California and Arizona.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced plans to spend money from the Inflation Reduction Act on water conservation measures in the Colorado River basin. Sources told KUNC that could include buying water from farmers and ranchers to help boost levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead.