US proposes cuts to Colorado River use for Arizona, California and Nevada

What the report says

The US Bureau of Reclamation on Friday proposed a new framework to reduce Colorado River use in the Lower Basin, affecting Arizona, California and Nevada, as federal officials try to prevent a worsening water crisis across the West. Al Jazeera reported that the plan is intended to be flexible, with deeper reductions in drier years and smaller ones when water supplies improve, while giving the states more time to negotiate longer-term management rules.

Under the proposal, the three states could collectively face cuts of up to 3 million acre-feet a year through 2036, with the actual reductions adjusted every two years based on river conditions. The article says the plan would leave the four Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — with voluntary cuts rather than mandatory ones for now. US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the department must keep the system reliable for the communities and industries that depend on it.

The proposal comes after years of deadlocked talks among the states and with key operating guidelines for the river set to expire at the end of 2026. Al Jazeera said the two biggest reservoirs on the river, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, are at their lowest combined level since 1957, reflecting long-term overuse, drought and higher temperatures. The river supplies water to more than 40 million people, tribes and Mexico, and also supports hydropower.

State officials responded differently, with Arizona and Nevada criticizing the scale of the cuts and California calling it a step forward but not a final deal. The story notes that any reductions could affect farming, cities and water prices, especially in Arizona and Southern California, where water scarcity has already pushed utilities and users to seek alternative supplies.