Overview
- The seven basin states face a Nov. 11 cutoff set by acting Reclamation chief Scott Cameron to present an initial framework for post‑2026 rules, with negotiators still meeting.
- Lower Basin negotiators seek mandatory reductions in dry years while Upper Basin representatives favor voluntary or market‑style conservation and contest release obligations from Lake Powell.
- Interior has signaled it could impose a plan or assert water‑master authority if no consensus emerges, a step that could trigger legal fights and operational changes.
- Lake Powell is about 29% full and Lake Mead about 31–32%, with federal outlooks indicating Powell could lose hydropower production as early as October 2026 if dryness continues.
- Heavy autumn storms boosted local flows and caused flooding in parts of southwest Colorado but left most of the basin in drought and did little to refill the big reservoirs.