Climate Colorado River
FILE - A formerly floating buoy now sits high and dry above Lake Powell at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, July 15, 2026, near Page, Nev.
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Arizona, California and Nevada would take less water from the Colorado River under a federal proposal to stave off a crisis in the river. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced the plan on Friday, allowing deeper cuts in drier times. Arizona and Nevada have faced cuts before, but this proposal could lead to more significant reductions, impacting agriculture, cities, and tribes. The proposal follows years of deadlocked negotiations among states. The Lower Basin states could face collective cuts up to 3 million acre-feet annually through 2036. That’s about enough water to serve more than 25 million people a year.
Under the plan, the Lower Basin states could face collective cuts up to 3 million acre-feet annually through 2036.
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