Officials warn of a bleak Colorado River future as deadline nears

Officials from the Colorado River's Upper and Lower Basin states outlined a bleak outlook during a PBS special, with current usage rules expiring at year's end and no agreement reached after more than two years of talks. Absent a deal, a federal backstop plan will impose cuts on Lower Basin states, hitting Arizona hardest with reductions of up to 77% to its river allocation.

The dispute centers on Upper Basin states' refusal to accept mandatory cuts, even as Lower Basin states already absorb reductions in dry years; Colorado's water commissioner argued her state already faces cuts from record-low snowpack, calling nature's cuts 'far more fierce' than anything Washington could impose. Lake Powell and Lake Mead have fallen to their lowest levels since 1957, edging toward 'deadpool,' the point at which water can no longer flow past the dams by gravity.

A federal Interior official dodged a question about restricting agricultural water use, even though agriculture consumes roughly 75% of the Lower Basin's supply versus 25% for municipalities. A scientist noted the entire allocation system still rests on a 1922 compact built on an inflated estimate of the river's annual flow, which has since dropped 35% since 2020.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.