Today, the Bureau of Reclamation released the next step in a responsible path to guide post-2026 operations for the Colorado River, which provides critical water resources for 40 million people across 7 states and 30 Tribes across the West. The alternatives for consideration, previewed in November, represent a robust range of actions that acknowledge a broad spectrum of realistic hydrology for the Colorado River. The alternatives identified in the report reflect elements from proposals submitted by Basin states, Tribes, cooperating agencies and non-governmental organizations. The report provides additional detail on the alternatives from modeling and analysis performed by Reclamation and reflects ongoing conversations with all Basin stakeholders. Today's release puts Reclamation on a path to publish a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in summer 2025, so that post-2026 operations can be finalized on time.
Since Day One of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of the Interior has led critical discussions over how to bring the Colorado River back from the brink of an economic and environmental crisis in the face of a 24-year megadrought. In 2023, following more than a year of collaboration with the states and Tribes who call the Colorado River Basin home, the Department brokered a historic consensus agreement to guide operations through 2026.
"With historic investments from President Biden's Investing in America agenda, our Administration has successfully staved off a crisis in the Colorado River Basin in the short term and set it up for success in the years ahead. Communities who rely on the Colorado River Basin need a strong, sustainable plan for post-2026 operations that builds on the historic progress in water conservation made during our Administration.," said Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis. "As the Basin works toward another consensus agreement that will both protect the long-term stability of the Colorado River Basin and meet the needs of communities, the alternatives released today provide a robust and fair framework for the future that recognizes the shared responsibility of all river users in addressing ongoing drought conditions."
In June 2023, the Department initiated the formal process to develop future operating guidelines and strategies to protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River for future generations. The release of the alternatives report sets the basin on a course that allows for timely development of final operating guidelines. This is a step that must be taken by August 2026 to inform future operations - the existing guidelines expire in December 2026. Reclamation will proceed with full analysis these alternatives to develop a draft EIS.
"After working tirelessly over the past several years to bring Colorado River Basin partners together for a transparent and inclusive post-2026 process, the Biden-Harris administration has laid a firm foundation to allow for success in the Basin," said Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. "The alternatives laid out in today's report represent a responsible range from which to build the best and most robust path forward. I have confidence in our partners and the Reclamation team in continuing this work to meet the needs of the river for the future."
Over the last three years, the Biden-Harris administration has led a comprehensive effort to make Western communities more resilient to climate change and address the ongoing megadrought across the region by harnessing the full resources of President Biden's historic Investing in America agenda. Together, the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provide the largest investment in climate resilience in our nation's history, including $15.4 billion for western water across federal agencies to enhance the West's resilience to drought and deliver unprecedented resources to protect the Colorado River System for all whose lives and livelihoods depend on it. This includes $7.15 billion for over 684 projects in the Colorado River Basin states alone.
In 2021, historic drought along the river brought the communities it serves to a near crisis. This megadrought diminished the river's largest reservoirs - Lake Mead and Lake Powell - to critically low elevations that threatened power and water supplies throughout the West and risked an economic, ecological and public health crisis. To provide decisive intervention and bold action, the Biden-Harris administration launched an all-of-government approach to stave off a crisis in the short-term. Today, Lake Mead is replenished, up nearly 20 feet from two years ago, and Lake Powell has rebounded 50 feet. The lower Basin states and the Country of Mexico saved 1.6 million acre-feet by the end of 2024, an unprecedented level of conservation for the Colorado River Basin.
While the post-2026 process will determine domestic operations, the Biden-Harris administration has also collaborated with the Country of Mexico in recognition of their equities in the Basin. The International Boundary and Water Commission will continue to facilitate consultations between the United States and Mexico on Binational Cooperative Processes under the 1944 Water Treaty.
