[REVISION HISTORY]

Colorado River water cut plan for Nevada

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-05 23:14 UTC → 2026-08-06 00:44 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In early August 2026 the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation unveiled a 10‑year federal framework to manage the Colorado River’s dwindling supplies. The plan called for lower‑basin states to cut water use by up to 3 million acre‑feet in dry years, with Nevada slated for the smallest mandatory reduction—about 210,000 acre‑feet per year. Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo warned that the cuts were “unrealistic” and could harm the state’s economy and environment, while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum emphasized the plan’s flexibility for changing hydrologic conditions. A Cornell University study cited in the release projected that inflows to the six West‑Slope basins feeding Lake Powell could fall by as much as 50 % by mid‑century, threatening water and energy supplies for roughly 40 million people. Two days later the Bureau issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement, detailing the operating framework that will replace the 2007 interim guidelines. Under the final plan Nevada is required to surrender about 50,000 acre‑feet annually for the next two years—roughly a third of its current allocation—before seniority‑based cuts take effect after 2028. The EIS, released July 31, formalized a 10‑year operating regime for 2027‑2036 that also sets up to 3 million acre‑feet of mandatory consumptive‑use reductions for Arizona, California and Nevada. Nevada’s 50,000‑acre‑foot cut represents about one‑third of its 300,000‑acre‑foot entitlement and exceeds the 198,000 acre‑feet actually used last year. The framework is designed to keep Lake Powell and Lake Mead above critical elevations, preserving water deliveries and hydroelectric generation at Glen Canyon Dam. Arizona officials have criticized the allocation of burden to the Lower Basin, and the plan follows years of stalled negotiations among the seven basin states. The statement incorporated more than 18,000 public comments, addressed recreation concerns at ~~Lake Powell and Lake Mead,~~ both reservoirs, retained protective “sideboard” thresholds, and rejected proposals to drain Lake Powell. ~~A final Record of Decision is expected in the coming weeks.~~

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