The federal agency overseeing the water supply for tens of millions of people in the West has published a list of options for how it might manage the drought-stricken Colorado River in the future.
The five proposals range from taking "no action" to a scenario that might result in water cuts to the lower basin states of California, Nevada and Arizona. One alternative developed in partnership with conservation groups would incentivize states and water users to proactively conserve the river.
But the Interior Department is not identifying a preferred option, and the scenarios outlined in hundreds of pages of documents will only move forward if all seven states that depend on the water fail to agree on their own conservation plan soon.
The current operating guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake Mead along the Colorado are set to expire in August.
Colorado and the six other states that depend on the waterway have been at an impasse for almost two years as they negotiate how to share and conserve its water in the face of drought and growing demands on the river.
A gathering of the state's top river negotiators in December appeared to pass without a breakthrough, and the next deadline for states to come to terms looms Feb. 14.
John Fleck, a water policy expert at the University of New Mexico, told KUNC after the negotiators missed a key November deadline that it would be unfortunate and risky if the states don't reach an agreement and head to court.
"We end up handing off water management responsibilities to courts because we haven't been able to take charge of our own water management fate in the basin," he said. "And I think that would be unfortunate and poses a lot of risks, but that may be the only way, is that courts make us do the right thing [to conserve water]."
As of Jan. 11, Lake Powell and Lake Mead were sitting at 27 and 33% full, respectively.
The Interior Department says drought conditions over the past 25 years and forecasts for dry conditions have made it "particularly challenging" to come up with new management plans for the river.
"The Department of the Interior is moving forward with this process to ensure environmental compliance is in place so operations can continue without interruption when the current guidelines expire," Assistant Secretary - Water and Science Andrea Travnicek said in a statement. "The river and the 40 million people who depend on it cannot wait. In the face of an ongoing severe drought, inaction is not an option."
The Interior Department said a decision about future management of the river will land before Oct. 1 "to provide certainty for communities, tribes and water users."
Public comment will be accepted on the draft plans through early March.
This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Colorado River, produced by KUNC in Colorado and supported by the Walton Family Foundation. KUNC is solely responsible for its editorial coverage.
