Overview
- Federal officials published operational rules on Friday that lock in roughly 1.542 billion cubic meters of annual cuts to California, Arizona and Nevada for 2027 and 2028 with California set to reduce about 543 million cubic meters.
- The plan also directs at least 863 million cubic meters of additional voluntary conservation and storage in the lower basin through 2028 with federal support to help meet the shortfall.
- U.S. reservoir levels are at historic lows, shrinking the buffer for deliveries and increasing pressure on treaty deliveries to Mexico and on cities and farms that rely on the river.
- State, tribal, district and binational implementation agreements remain unresolved and the Interior plans to issue a Record of Decision and operational guidance before October 1, 2026 to define how cuts will be carried out.
- Local effects will include tightened urban supplies and reduced irrigation, with districts such as the Imperial Irrigation District contributing stored conservation from long-running programs and regional development and hydropower generation at risk until new operations are finalized.