LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The federal government today released finalized guidelines for how Colorado River water will be divided in 2027 and 2028.
The Department of the Interior issued the Decision Framework for Colorado River Guidelines: Coordinated Operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead (2027-2036), along with an operating plan for Lake Powell and Lake Mead for 2027 and 2028.
The Bureau of Reclamation’s plan forces cuts on the lower basin states of Nevada, Arizona and California. It imposes no conservation mandates on the upper basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Reaction from lawmakers
The lack of upper basin water cuts has long been a point of contention for lower basin water managers.
Rep. Dina Titus released a statement Aug. 21 after the Bureau of Reclamation announced the allocations. “The Bureau of Reclamation’s decision allocation of Colorado River water in 2027-2028 is a stopgap measure,” she said. “It will require the Southern Nevada Water Authority to leave 50,000 acre feet of water in Lake Mead in each of the next two years, which is one-sixth of our yearly allocation.”
Titus said the Southern Nevada Water Authority states this is water it would not use based on current demand. She said she remains concerned there is still no long-term plan to deal with the dwindling supply of Colorado River water.
Titus said alternatives should be considered, including desalinization, use of alternative water supplies in Southern California and a requirement that upper basin states curtail use of river water for agriculture. She said she has asked House leadership to include measures in a supplemental appropriations package that would mitigate the effects of extreme drought on the Colorado River.
“We must adapt to the reality that the river won’t rise to previous levels because of climate change and prolonged drought,” Titus said.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo and John Entsminger, Southern Nevada Water Authority general manager and Nevada’s Governor’s Representative for Colorado River negotiations, released a joint statement Aug. 21.
“The Lower Basin’s proactiveness and response to ongoing drought and extreme weather impacts affecting Lake Mead remains a model for river management,” Lombardo said. “However, the federal government has produced a plan that provides little certainty for Nevada and other Lower Basin users. Looking into years three through 10 of the decision framework, the federal government is positioning to short Nevada — the state with the smallest river allocation at only 1.8% — sacrificing the health and safety of Nevadans before requiring equal water responsibility for our shared water resources from the Upper Basin.”
“Southern Nevada has done its part to mandate common sense water conservation and efficiency measures,” Entsminger said. “Our conservation achievements are unmatched. Seven-state consensus plans remain Nevada’s preferred path for this river. But, in the absence of science-based operating regimes that demand reasonable water use reductions by all seven states, Nevada will fight to protect our community’s water supply.”
Nevada is closely reviewing the Record of Decision issued today to fully assess its implications for Southern Nevada. While the operating plan for the next two years appears generally consistent with the Lower Basin States’ proposal, a thorough review of the decision and its implementation details is underway.
Water advocates respond
Water advocates tell FOX5 they see the guidelines as more of a short-term framework than a long-term fix.
“I think the big takeaway that we should all be considering in regards to this announcement and final decision from the federal government today is that they are open and willing to do some negotiating with the lower basin in the future as it relates to cuts,” said Kyle Roerink, Senior Advisor of the Great Basin Water Network.
“While Nevada will be cutting, Arizona will be cutting, California will be cutting, we know that states like Utah and Colorado are going to be handing out new permits for water rights users in those states,” Roerink said. “So essentially we are taking water from one basin and we’re allowing another basin to use it. That’s not conservation.”
Roerink said the two-year deal buys time and keeps the states talking. He said the real test will be whether the basin states can turn that flexibility into a lasting plan before Lake Mead falls even further.
Allocation cuts by state
The lower Colorado River basin states will need to use much less water in 2027, according to the final guidelines released by the Bureau of Reclamation. The guidance calls for Nevada to cut its allocation by 50,000 acre feet. Arizona must conserve an additional 760,000 acre feet, and California must cut by 440,000 acre feet.
The federal government does not impose any mandatory conservation on the upper basin, which is raising frustrations downstream, especially considering the conservation efforts already underway in the lower basin.
UCLA study on conservation
A March 2025 UCLA report titled “Can water reuse save the Colorado? An analysis of wastewater recycling in the Colorado River Basin states,” authored by Noah Garrison, Lauren Stack, Jessica McKay and Mark Gold, praised Southern Nevada as a national leader in conservation, while pointing out gaps upstream. Researchers found Southern Nevada recycles about 85% of its indoor water. Utah recycles less than 1%.
Lake Mead levels
Lake Mead currently sits slightly above 1,040 feet, about a quarter full and the lowest level it has seen since it was filled in the 1930s. It is also approaching the point where Hoover Dam’s hydropower production needs to be sharply reduced.
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