Arizona Water

A federal hydrologist appeared to be momentarily at a loss for words Thursday as he described how dire the latest forecast has gotten for how much water will flow through the Colorado River Basin this summer.

A proposal from Arizona, California and Nevada would cut back on water and prop up Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

Tribal leaders testified before a Senate committee in support of a landmark agreement that would provide Colorado River water to the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe.

Possible scenarios could include significant water reductions in Lower Basin states like Arizona or new incentives for states to conserve water.

Four days of negotiations in a Salt Lake City conference room earlier this month did not appear to have sparked a breakthrough.

The proposals range from "no action" to a scenario that might result in water cuts to the lower-basin states, including Arizona. One option would incentivize states and water users to proactively conserve the river.

Arizona will provide billions in taxpayer money to help fund several new initiatives aimed at providing alternate drinking water sources for the state.

New data from the Bureau of Reclamation puts the river and its reservoirs in formal shortage conditions. Policymakers are stuck on ways to fix that in the years to come.

The Biden Administration's Interior Department released proposals for managing the Colorado River in an apparent attempt to nudge the states toward agreement.

Water managers across the West say they do not expect a new Trump administration will alter post-2026 Colorado River talks.