Overview
- Seven basin states face a Feb. 14, 2026 target to reach a consensus plan before federal officials move toward setting operating rules as current guidelines end in 2026.
- The Bureau of Reclamation’s acting commissioner said a range of operating alternatives will be released within weeks after intensified outreach, and negotiators now see a short-term five-year pact as the most feasible step.
- Federal projections indicate 2026 inflows could be about 27% below normal, and without a strong winter Lake Powell could fall low enough to stop hydropower by October.
- A University of Colorado report warns that Lakes Powell and Mead are at critically low storage and that one or two dry years could jeopardize water deliveries and governance.
- Talks are stalled over sharing mandatory reductions: Lower Basin states offered the first 1.5 million acre-feet in cuts and seek verifiable shared cuts thereafter, while Upper Basin negotiators resist binding reductions.