The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has ordered significant cuts to Colorado River water deliveries for Arizona, California, and Nevada, citing critically low water levels in the nation's largest reservoirs and a prolonged drought exacerbated by climate change. These cuts, totaling 1.25 million acre-feet annually for the next two years beginning in 2027, aim to address the shrinking supply of the vital river system.
The federal intervention comes after the seven states that rely on the Colorado River failed to reach a voluntary agreement on how to manage the reduced water flow. While the DOI is mandating the overall reduction, the distribution among the three affected Lower Basin states is based on a voluntary agreement they negotiated in May. Under this agreement, Arizona would face a reduction of 760,000 acre-feet, California 440,000 acre-feet, and Nevada 50,000 acre-feet annually.
In addition to the delivery cuts, the DOI is encouraging the three states to voluntarily conserve and store at least 700,000 acre-feet of water each year over the two-year period. These mandated reductions are less severe than the worst-case scenario of up to 3 million acre-feet per year that the federal government had proposed in July, though further reductions remain possible depending on future hydrological conditions.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum stated that the decisions provide a framework for stakeholders to respond to the drought while incorporating flexible tools and voluntary actions. He emphasized the river's importance to 40 million people, millions of acres of farmland and ranchland, industries powering the American West, and rapidly growing metropolitan areas.
The DOI also aims to maintain Lake Powell's water level at or above 3,510 feet, a threshold critical for hydropower generation at Glen Canyon Dam. While Upper Basin states—Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico—were not subject to mandated reductions due to differing legal authorities, the DOI has requested their cooperation in operating reservoirs to send water downstream and protect the dam's power generation capabilities.
Assistant Secretary of Water and Science Andrea Travnicek noted that the department will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders to identify opportunities for infrastructure modernization, conservation programs, and innovative water delivery approaches under changing environmental conditions.