The seven US states that share the Colorado River spent more than two years trying to agree on rules to replace guidelines that cover operations only through 2026, and missed federal deadlines in November 2025 and February 2026. In August 2026 the Interior Department adopted its own framework, cutting Lower Basin deliveries by 1.25 million acre-feet a year in 2027 and 2028, and Mexico agreed to a parallel cut under Minute 334. Nevada has sued, and Arizona and the Central Arizona Project have moved to join.
As of 1 November 2026 the federal 2027 and 2028 guidelines are in force, no seven-state agreement exists and Nevada's lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Nevada is pending, with Arizona and the Central Arizona Project seeking to join. Arizona, California and Nevada had not finalised their three-state sharing agreement as of late October, KJZZ reported. Lower Basin cuts start with calendar year 2027, and Reclamation sets the final 2027 Lake Powell release in April 2027.
Representatives of the seven basin states completed the Colorado River Compact in Santa Fe. It gives the Upper and Lower Basins each the consumptive use of 7.5 million acre-feet a year and bars the Upper Division states from depleting the flow at Lee Ferry below 75 million acre-feet over any ten consecutive years.
The United States and Mexico signed the 1944 Water Treaty on the use of the Colorado, Tijuana and Rio Grande rivers. It allots Mexico 1.5 million acre-feet of Colorado River water a year, according to the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center.
The Interior Secretary approved a Record of Decision adopting interim guidelines that tie Lower Basin shortages to Lake Mead elevations and coordinate releases from Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The guidelines cover operations through 2026, which is why new rules were needed from 2027.
The US and Mexican sections of the International Boundary and Water Commission adopted Minute 323 in 2017. Under it Mexico has shared Lower Basin shortage reductions since 2022, according to the commission and the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. Minute 330 followed in 2024.
Reclamation said Lake Mead would operate in its first ever Level 1 Shortage Condition in 2022, with a projected 1 January elevation of 1,065.85 feet. Arizona's deliveries were cut by 512,000 acre-feet, Nevada's by 21,000 and Mexico's by 80,000, according to Reclamation.
Interior announced a consensus proposal from Arizona, California and Nevada to conserve at least 3 million acre-feet of system water through the end of 2026. Interior said 2.3 million acre-feet would be compensated with Inflation Reduction Act funds.
Reclamation formally began the process for new operating rules with a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, according to its post-2026 project page.
The two basins sent Reclamation separate proposals. Colorado Politics reported the Lower Basin plan would cut use at and downstream of Lake Mead by 1.5 million acre-feet a year and, in worse conditions, share reductions of up to 3.9 million among the Upper Basin, Lower Basin and Mexico. The Upper Basin plan based Lake Powell releases on actual hydrology.
Reclamation publicly released the alternatives it was developing for post-2026 operations, according to its project page.
Reclamation said Lake Mead would stay in a Level 1 Shortage Condition for 2026, with the same reductions for Arizona, Nevada and Mexico, and projected Lake Mead at 1,055.88 feet. Acting Commissioner David Palumbo said it underscored the need for immediate action.
The seven states did not present the outline of a sharing plan by the 11 November date federal officials had requested, KUNC and Colorado Public Radio reported. A joint statement said progress warranted continued efforts toward a finalized agreement. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs wrote to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum asking him to require cuts from the Upper Basin states.
Reclamation released a draft Environmental Impact Statement with five alternatives and no preferred option, leaving room for a state agreement. It said deliveries to Mexico would be handled separately through the International Boundary and Water Commission.
Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming announced agreement on a basin-wide proposal and said their water users were preparing for reductions of more than 2 million acre-feet this year. The governors of Arizona, California and Nevada said all seven states must share conservation, CBS Colorado and the Associated Press reported.
The states missed a second deadline, the Associated Press reported. AP said Arizona, California and Nevada had offered cuts of 27, 10 and 17 percent. Interior said it would proceed to finalize guidelines by 1 October without full state consensus.
The 45-day comment period on the draft closed. Reclamation said it received 18,127 submissions, of which 785 were unique.
Interior said that in April the Secretary asked the seven states for feedback on water supply and conservation projects and that the administration was reviewing their submissions.
Reclamation said system storage was about 36 percent of capacity and that Lake Powell could fall below minimum power pool by August without intervention. It said it intended to release 660,000 acre-feet to 1 million acre-feet from Flaming Gorge through April 2027 and to cut Lake Powell's annual release from 7.48 million to 6.0 million acre-feet through September 2026.
Arizona, California and Nevada submitted a joint proposal to Reclamation with Lower Basin reductions of 1.25 million acre-feet beginning in 2027, split 760,000 for Arizona, 440,000 for California and 50,000 for Nevada, plus at least 700,000 acre-feet of added conservation, Maven's Notebook reported. The Nevada Independent reported the plan needs approval from federal officials and state lawmakers.
Reclamation published the Final Environmental Impact Statement with a preferred alternative that sets a 10-year framework through 2036, with operating guidelines expected in two-year periods. Its limits include Lower Basin shortages of up to 3.0 million acre-feet and Lake Powell releases of 5.0 to 12.0 million acre-feet a year.
Both reservoirs reached record low elevations in August, according to Reclamation. NASA said Lake Powell first fell below its April 2023 record of 3,519.92 feet on 15 August and stood at 3,517.24 feet on 10 September.
CalMatters reported that California water managers said a plan reset every two years would not let them plan ahead, and that Arizona negotiator Tom Buschatzke faulted the Upper Basin for offering no mandatory reductions. Colorado negotiator Becky Mitchell wrote that Lower Basin overuse was behind the reservoir crisis, CalMatters reported.
Secretary Burgum signed a Record of Decision adopting a 10-year framework to 2036 and operating guidelines for 2027 and 2028. Lower Basin deliveries are cut by 1.25 million acre-feet a year, and Reclamation said the split would be 760,000 for Arizona, 440,000 for California and 50,000 for Nevada if the three states implement their proposed sharing agreement, plus at least 700,000 acre-feet of voluntary conservation over two years. The guidelines provide for an Upper Basin agreement on three upstream reservoirs, and KUNC reported the Upper Basin states are not subject to the cut.
Nevada, the Colorado River Commission of Nevada and the Southern Nevada Water Authority sued Burgum, the Interior Department and Reclamation in the US District Court for the District of Nevada, asking the court to set aside the Record of Decision. The Nevada Independent reported the concerns include flaws in the environmental review, and Bloomberg Government reported Nevada argues Interior did not adequately consider alternatives with larger Upper Basin reductions.
The two sections of the International Boundary and Water Commission signed Minute 334 in El Paso, extending and replacing the measures in Minutes 323 and 330 through 31 December 2028. Mexico's deliveries fall by 250,000 acre-feet a year in 2027 and 2028 while US Lower Basin allocations fall by 1.25 million acre-feet a year, according to the commission. It was announced on 9 September.
Lake Mead stood at 1,038.50 feet on 16 September, below the previous record low of 1,040.50 feet set on 28 July 2022, FOX Weather reported, citing Reclamation's daily report. Reclamation had said Lake Mead reached a record low in mid-August.
The 2027 water year began under the new guidelines, Utah Public Radio reported. Reclamation said on 21 August that Lake Powell would begin the year in its 3,540 to 3,510 foot protection range with an expected release of 6.0 to 7.0 million acre-feet, the final volume to be set in April 2027.
Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Water Resources moved to intervene in Nevada's suit. The Nevada Independent reported Arizona argues the plan fails to hold Upper Basin states accountable for delivering water to Lake Mead. Director Tom Buschatzke said the seven states had not reached an equitable outcome, Deseret News reported.
In a KOLD interview during a visit to southern Arizona, Burgum called Arizona's cuts completely manageable, said the lawsuit may be tossed out and said Arizona has among the most junior water rights of the seven states, KOLD and ABC15 reported. A spokesperson for Hobbs told KOLD that Interior was still threatening Arizona with cuts.
The Central Arizona Project asked the federal court in Nevada to let it join the case, saying the cuts are illegal and disregard the 1922 Compact, KOLD and KJZZ reported. General manager Brenda Burman told KJZZ the three Lower Basin states were still talking, and KJZZ reported their cuts had not been finalised.
Reclamation's daily report showed Lake Mead at 1,038.66 feet and Lake Powell at 3,531.69 feet on 30 October. Reclamation notes the automatic reports have not been checked for errors.
Inside Climate News reported that talks continue but a deal seems no closer, and that a wider lawsuit among all seven states over the Compact is a possibility. It said six of the seven basin states elect governors in November.
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US District Court for the District of Nevada (via CourtListener) · storage.courtlistener.comLast updated 1 November 2026. Spotted an error? See corrections. Every event links to the record it comes from. Allegations are attributed to whoever made them.