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3 days ago
- Politics
Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will again get less Colorado River water in 2026
DENVER -- Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will again live with less water from the Colorado River as drought lingers in the West, federal officials announced Friday. The Colorado River is a critical lifeline to seven U.S. states, 30 Native American tribes, and two Mexican states. The cuts are based on projections for levels at federal reservoirs — chief among them Lake Powell and Lake Mead — released every August by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Arizona will again go without 18% of its total Colorado River allocation, while Mexico loses 5%. The reduction for Nevada — which receives far less water than Arizona, California or Mexico — will stay at 7%. California won't face any cuts because it has senior water rights and is the last to lose in times of shortage. Decades of overuse and the effects of long-term drought worsened by climate change means there's far more demand for water than what actually flows through the river. Low reservoir levels at Lake Mead have triggered mandatory cutbacks every year since 2022, with the deepest cuts in 2023, which hit farmers in Arizona the hardest. Meanwhile, the states are working to reach agreement by next year on new long-term rules to govern the river in dry years. The Trump administration gave a mid-November deadline for states to reach a preliminary agreement, or risk federal intervention. Negotiations have faced delays as states push back against how much water they should each give up. The original 1922 Colorado River Compact was calculated based on an amount of water that doesn't exist in today's climate. That leaves the Upper Basin states of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah to share far less water after the required amount is sent to the to the 'Lower Basin' states of Nevada, Arizona and California. Lots of water is also lost to evaporation and leaky infrastructure. Fairly splitting the river's water in the era of climate change has been vexing for years, with all of the major users hesitant to give anything up as they anticipate a drier future. There has to be enough water in the reservoirs to reach the tunnels that usher water downstream, and ideally, even more water for hydropower generation. Key infrastructure like the Hoover Dam rely on certain water levels in Lake Mead to generate electricity. Mandatory cuts and emergency water releases are 'reactive," said John Berggren, a regional policy manager at Western Resource Advocates, a nonprofit focused on climate change. 'If we are going to be able to have a sustainable Colorado River and not just be responding to crisis after crisis, we need large amounts of flexibility built into this new set of guidelines," he said. 'We can and must do better. Nature isn't waiting for us,' said Becky Mitchell, Colorado's commissioner in the Upper Colorado River Commission. States are considering a so-called natural flow approach to managing the river — where the Lower Basin would receive a certain percentage of the average natural flow from the prior few years. The Lower Basin states have helped stave off deeper cuts by coming up with voluntary conservation plans. 'Absent all of those measures, the river would be in a very bad place,' said J.B. Hamby, chairman of the Colorado River Board of California and a board member for the Imperial Irrigation District, the largest user of the river's water. Still, he knows California, like others, will likely have to give up more in the negotiations. Dozens of conservation projects along for Upper Basin states and tribes are in limbo. President Donald Trump froze yet-to-be-distributed Inflation Reduction Act funds on his first day in office, which included nearly $400 million for those projects. The entire Colorado congressional delegation signed a letter earlier this month urging the release their portion of those funds. ___ This story has been corrected to remove a reference to the third year of cuts in the headline. The cuts announced Friday are set for 2026, which will be the fifth year. ___ Associated Press journalists Amy Taxin in Tustin, California, and Mead Gruver in Fort Collins, Colorado, contributed to this report. ___
3 days ago
- Politics
Arizona, Nevada and Mexico get less Colorado River water for a third year
DENVER -- Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will again live with less water from the Colorado River as drought lingers in the West, federal officials announced Friday. The Colorado River is a critical lifeline to seven U.S. states, 30 Native American tribes, and two Mexican states. The cuts are based on projections for levels at federal reservoirs — chief among them Lake Powell and Lake Mead — released every August by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Arizona will again go without 18% of its total Colorado River allocation, while Mexico loses 5%. The reduction for Nevada — which receives far less water than Arizona, California or Mexico — will stay at 7%. California won't face any cuts because it has senior water rights and is the last to lose in times of shortage. Decades of overuse and the effects of long-term drought worsened by climate change means there's far more demand for water than what actually flows through the river. Low reservoir levels at Lake Mead have triggered mandatory cutbacks every year since 2022, with the deepest cuts in 2023, which hit farmers in Arizona the hardest. Meanwhile, the states are working to reach agreement by next year on new long-term rules to govern the river in dry years. The Trump administration gave a mid-November deadline for states to reach a preliminary agreement, or risk federal intervention. Negotiations have faced delays as states push back against how much water they should each give up. The original 1922 Colorado River Compact was calculated based on an amount of water that doesn't exist in today's climate. That leaves the Upper Basin states of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah to share far less water after the required amount is sent to the to the 'Lower Basin' states of Nevada, Arizona and California. Lots of water is also lost to evaporation and leaky infrastructure. Fairly splitting the river's water in the era of climate change has been vexing for years, with all of the major users hesitant to give anything up as they anticipate a drier future. There has to be enough water in the reservoirs to reach the tunnels that usher water downstream, and ideally, even more water for hydropower generation. Key infrastructure like the Hoover Dam rely on certain water levels in Lake Mead to generate electricity. Mandatory cuts and emergency water releases are 'reactive," said John Berggren, a regional policy manager at Western Resource Advocates, a nonprofit focused on climate change. 'If we are going to be able to have a sustainable Colorado River and not just be responding to crisis after crisis, we need large amounts of flexibility built into this new set of guidelines," he said. 'We can and must do better. Nature isn't waiting for us,' said Becky Mitchell, Colorado's commissioner in the Upper Colorado River Commission. States are considering a so-called natural flow approach to managing the river — where the Lower Basin would receive a certain percentage of the average natural flow from the prior few years. The Lower Basin states have helped stave off deeper cuts by coming up with voluntary conservation plans. 'Absent all of those measures, the river would be in a very bad place,' said J.B. Hamby, chairman of the Colorado River Board of California and a board member for the Imperial Irrigation District, the largest user of the river's water. Still, he knows California, like others, will likely have to give up more in the negotiations. Dozens of conservation projects along for Upper Basin states and tribes are in limbo. President Donald Trump froze yet-to-be-distributed Inflation Reduction Act funds on his first day in office, which included nearly $400 million for those projects. The entire Colorado congressional delegation signed a letter earlier this month urging the release their portion of those funds.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Arizona, Nevada and Mexico get less Colorado River water for a third year
DENVER (AP) — Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will again live with less water from the Colorado River as drought lingers in the West, federal officials announced Friday. The Colorado River is a critical lifeline to seven U.S. states, 30 Native American tribes, and two Mexican states. The cuts are based on projections for levels at federal reservoirs — chief among them Lake Powell and Lake Mead — released every August by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Arizona will again go without 18% of its total Colorado River allocation, while Mexico loses 5%. The reduction for Nevada — which receives far less water than Arizona, California or Mexico — will stay at 7%. California won't face any cuts because it has senior water rights and is the last to lose in times of shortage. Decades of overuse and the effects of long-term drought worsened by climate change means there's far more demand for water than what actually flows through the river. Low reservoir levels at Lake Mead have triggered mandatory cutbacks every year since 2022, with the deepest cuts in 2023, which hit farmers in Arizona the hardest. Meanwhile, the states are working to reach agreement by next year on new long-term rules to govern the river in dry years. The Trump administration gave a mid-November deadline for states to reach a preliminary agreement, or risk federal intervention. Negotiations have faced delays as states push back against how much water they should each give up. The original 1922 Colorado River Compact was calculated based on an amount of water that doesn't exist in today's climate. That leaves the Upper Basin states of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah to share far less water after the required amount is sent to the to the 'Lower Basin' states of Nevada, Arizona and California. Lots of water is also lost to evaporation and leaky infrastructure. Fairly splitting the river's water in the era of climate change has been vexing for years, with all of the major users hesitant to give anything up as they anticipate a drier future. There has to be enough water in the reservoirs to reach the tunnels that usher water downstream, and key infrastructure like the Hoover Dam rely on certain water levels in Lake Mead to generate electricity. Mandatory cuts and emergency water releases are 'reactive," said John Berggren, a regional policy manager at Western Resource Advocates, a nonprofit focused on climate change. 'If we are going to be able to have a sustainable Colorado River and not just be responding to crisis after crisis, we need large amounts of flexibility built into this new set of guidelines," he said. States are considering a so-called natural flow approach to managing the river — where the Lower Basin would receive a certain percentage of the average natural flow from the prior few years. The Lower Basin states have helped stave off deeper cuts by coming up with voluntary conservation plans. 'Absent all of those measures, the river would be in a very bad place,' said J.B. Hamby, chairman of the Colorado River Board of California and a board member for the Imperial Irrigation District, the largest user of the river's water. Still, he knows California, like others, will have to give up more in the ongoing negotiations.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Arizona, Nevada and Mexico get less Colorado River water for a third year
DENVER (AP) — Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will again live with less water from the Colorado River as drought lingers in the West, federal officials announced Friday. The Colorado River is a critical lifeline to seven U.S. states, 30 Native American tribes, and two Mexican states. The cuts are based on projections for levels at federal reservoirs — chief among them Lake Powell and Lake Mead — released every August by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Arizona will again go without 18% of its total Colorado River allocation, while Mexico loses 5%. The reduction for Nevada — which receives far less water than Arizona, California or Mexico — will stay at 7%. California won't face any cuts because it has senior water rights and is the last to lose in times of shortage. Decades of overuse and the effects of long-term drought worsened by climate change means there's far more demand for water than what actually flows through the river. Low reservoir levels at Lake Mead have triggered mandatory cutbacks every year since 2022, with the deepest cuts in 2023, which hit farmers in Arizona the hardest. Meanwhile, the states are working to reach agreement by next year on new long-term rules to govern the river in dry years. The Trump administration gave a mid-November deadline for states to reach a preliminary agreement, or risk federal intervention. Negotiations have faced delays as states push back against how much water they should each give up. The original 1922 Colorado River Compact was calculated based on an amount of water that doesn't exist in today's climate. That leaves the Upper Basin states of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah to share far less water after the required amount is sent to the to the 'Lower Basin' states of Nevada, Arizona and California. Lots of water is also lost to evaporation and leaky infrastructure. Fairly splitting the river's water in the era of climate change has been vexing for years, with all of the major users hesitant to give anything up as they anticipate a drier future. There has to be enough water in the reservoirs to reach the tunnels that usher water downstream, and key infrastructure like the Hoover Dam rely on certain water levels in Lake Mead to generate electricity. Mandatory cuts and emergency water releases are 'reactive,' said John Berggren, a regional policy manager at Western Resource Advocates, a nonprofit focused on climate change. 'If we are going to be able to have a sustainable Colorado River and not just be responding to crisis after crisis, we need large amounts of flexibility built into this new set of guidelines,' he said. Wednesdays What's next in arts, life and pop culture. States are considering a so-called natural flow approach to managing the river — where the Lower Basin would receive a certain percentage of the average natural flow from the prior few years. The Lower Basin states have helped stave off deeper cuts by coming up with voluntary conservation plans. 'Absent all of those measures, the river would be in a very bad place,' said J.B. Hamby, chairman of the Colorado River Board of California and a board member for the Imperial Irrigation District, the largest user of the river's water. Still, he knows California, like others, will have to give up more in the ongoing negotiations. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit
Newsweek
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Lake Mead Warning Issued: 'On a Knife's Edge'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A warning has been issued over low water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell, with advocates saying the Colorado River Basin is "on a knife's edge." Dry conditions and disappointing runoff from winter snowpack have sharply reduced the Colorado River's flow, straining a vital water supply for millions across the American Southwest. Why It Matters Lake Mead is a vital water source for millions of people across Nevada, Arizona, California, and parts of Mexico. Its declining levels could potentially jeopardize municipal water supplies, agricultural irrigation, and hydroelectric power generation. A ferry boat passes Rock Island rises on Lake Mead along the Colorado River on March 14, 2025 in Boulder City, Nevada. A ferry boat passes Rock Island rises on Lake Mead along the Colorado River on March 14, 2025 in Boulder City, To Know As of May 30, Lake Mead's water level measured 1,057.43 feet mean sea level (MSL), 171.57 feet below its full pool of 1,229. Lake Powell was at 3,558.92 feet MSL, 141.08 feet below its full pool of 3,700 feet, according to Lakes Online, an online resource for lake and reservoir information. The levels, combined with disappointing snowmelts, have raised the prospect of deeper shortages and cutbacks in water deliveries in the years ahead, according to the Los Angeles Times. John Berggren, the regional policy manager for the nonprofit group Western Resource Advocates, told the paper, "Increasing temperatures in recent decades are having a real impact on runoff." "It's something that, unfortunately, we're going to see more and more of, where you need well above average snowpack to come somewhere close to average runoff because of the warming temperatures," he continued. "We're kind of on a knife's edge between being OK and being in very scary, catastrophic situations," Berggren added. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S., with a capacity of nearly 29 million acre-feet of water. It is followed closely by Lake Powell, which can hold some 26 million acre-feet. Lake Mead, which receives flows from Lake Powell, hit critically low levels during the summer of 2022 following years of drought. Levels have somewhat recovered since. What People Are Saying Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, told the Los Angeles Times: "This is another year that is not going to help the Colorado basin's long-term water crisis. It's going to make things worse. This year will once again be putting more stress on the Colorado system." Kyle Roerink, executive director of the Great Basin Water Network, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal previously: "It's going to be a painful summer, watching the levels go down. We're getting to those dangerous levels we saw a few years ago." "These types of runoff conditions make water managers nervous. They make NGOs nervous, and they certainly make water users nervous." What Happens Next An earlier study from UCLA and the Natural Resources Defense Council suggested that raising wastewater recycling to 40 percent in the Colorado Basin could conserve nearly 900,000 acre-feet annually, potentially supplying nearly two million households.
