Overview
- The Interior Department and Bureau of Reclamation are advancing their own management alternatives that will undergo tribal consultation, public comment and environmental review.
- Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs sent a bipartisan letter urging Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to impose binding, verifiable cuts, and she plans to meet with him next week.
- A core dispute remains over mandatory reductions, with Upper Basin negotiators resisting fixed-volume commitments as Colorado’s Becky Mitchell cites hydrologic variability.
- A joint statement from the seven states and federal agencies reported “collective progress” and said short-term negotiations will continue despite the impasse.
- The river supports about 40 million people, its flow has declined by roughly 20% in recent decades, and low Lake Mead levels have already triggered cuts for Arizona and Nevada as post-2007 rules approach expiration and a new plan is needed by fall 2026.