Overview
- After two years of negotiations, state commissioners signaled no near-term path to a long-term pact, with Nevada’s John Entsminger saying a five-year framework could keep the fight out of court.
- The Bureau of Reclamation plans to release a draft environmental impact statement around the end of the year outlining a broad range of operating alternatives and opening a public comment period.
- Lower Basin negotiators proposed covering the roughly 1.5 million acre-foot structural deficit, while Upper Basin states resisted further reductions, citing limited use of their legal share and worsening hydrology.
- Federal hydrology updates project a difficult winter, with Lake Powell inflows estimated at 44–73% of average and the reservoir hovering near 28% full, raising warnings of possible loss of hydropower under the driest scenario by October 2026.
- Arizona’s Colorado River Indian Tribes and the Gila River Indian Community signed a cooperation proclamation with the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, underscoring tribes’ growing role in any settlement.