LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The state of Nevada has filed a lawsuit against the federal government over the recently announced framework for Colorado River cuts.
According to the lawsuit, filed Monday morning in the U.S. District Court, the state of Nevada, the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority are alleging the framework violates several laws.
According to the complaint, the plan would impose an annual reduction of 213,556 acre-feet on Nevada at a 3.6 million acre-feet shortage level, about 71% of the state’s Colorado River entitlement. The lawsuit states federal defendants failed to consider the lower basin states’ alternative proposal and did not adequately analyze the environmental, socioeconomic and public health impacts on southern Nevada.
This comes after the Bureau announced that the Lower Basin states of California, Nevada, and Arizona would be required to reduce their water use by 1.25 million acre-feet over the next two years. However, the agreement does not require any cuts for Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, or New Mexico.
Nevada is asking the court to declare the decision unlawful and to block its implementation until federal officials comply with the cited laws.
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