Overview
- The Trump administration set a Nov. 11 deadline for the seven basin states to outline a framework for post-2026 Colorado River operations.
- The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, under Interior, has warned it may impose its own plan if the states fail to agree.
- Negotiations remain stuck over whether mandatory reductions should apply across both the Upper and Lower Basins as supplies shrink.
- Dire projections for Lakes Mead and Powell and long-term flow declines are intensifying pressure to finalize a new operating regime.
- California faces outsized stakes, including Imperial Valley agriculture and Metropolitan Water District’s 1.5 million acre-feet banked in Lake Mead, which could be constrained if older rules snap back.