The hourglass is running out of sand when it comes to solving the crisis on the Colorado River, but a group of states sees an opportunity: a new administration.
In a letter sent to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last month and obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the three negotiators who represent Nevada, California and Arizona expressed their dismay with how proceedings were left under the Biden administration. The federal government is tasked with moving the states toward consensus before the end of 2026, when the current operating guidelines for the Colorado River are set to expire.
Because of what they see as a violation of bedrock environmental laws, the three officials call for Trump’s Interior Department to direct the Bureau of Reclamation to retract the so-called “alternatives report” issued early this year.
It left off both the Upper and Lower Basin’s separate proposals for how to operate the river, instead favoring a “basin hybrid” alternative — a move thought to be largely symbolic in an effort to shock the deadlocked states closer toward consensus.
“This report sought to set the direction for future Colorado River operations while failing to consider the Lower Basin’s proposed alternative,” officials wrote. “Despite our well-documented objections during the last administration, these serious flaws were incorporated into the ‘Alternatives Report,’ undermining the negotiation process among the seven Basin States.”
In a brief statement Monday, Upper Colorado River Commissioner Becky Mitchell, of Colorado, re-emphasized her commitment to consensus.
“The Upper Division States are committed to working towards supply-driven operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead — this year’s hydrology is a stark reminder of why this is necessary,” she said. “A sustainable approach will require all to live within the means of what the River provides.”
Nevada’s negotiator, the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s John Entsminger, didn’t respond to a request for comment Monday. The Interior Department and Bureau of Reclamation didn’t, either.
An ill-fated dam
The palpable tension between the Lower and Upper Basin negotiators was on full display at December’s Colorado River Water Users Association conference in Las Vegas, where state officials traded expletives and the two groups of states failed to meet as they had for years.
What the breakdown between the proposals boils down to is whether the Upper Basin states — C0lorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico — should be required to take cuts in times of extreme shortage, or if those should be left to the Lower Basin only.
In addition to the ongoing standstill, the Lower Basin’s letter stressed infrastructure problems with the Glen Canyon Dam above Lake Powell. A Bureau of Reclamation memo obtained in April revealed that because of faulty infrastructure, releases from Lake Powell aren’t a given if water levels fall below a certain point.
That’s a problem, especially for water users downstream in Southern Nevada who depend on Lake Mead and the Colorado River for 90 percent of their drinking water supply.
Lower Basin officials hope a new administration will prioritize repairs and ensuring that water is released, even if it means temporary water use reductions in the Upper Basin.
“The prior administration’s approach to protecting the Lake Powell outlet works by reducing releases from Lake Powell — rather than making infrastructure repairs and improvements — is shortsighted and harms the Lower Basin States by slashing the water available to our farmers, communities, and economies,” they wrote.
Snowpack woes persist, too
The whole Colorado River system faces an uncertain future, with the letter acknowledging that “imbalance between water supply and demand will be exacerbated by increasingly likely low-runoff conditions.”
Climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels plays a role, as the Colorado River Basin as a whole trends hotter and drier. Rising temperatures stole upward of 10 trillion gallons from the system in the last two decades, a 2023 study found.
Such conditions have been apparent this year, as well, with snowpack at 91 percent of normal as of Monday. Forecasters predict runoff into Lake Powell will only reach 67 percent of normal, however.
Kyle Roerink, of the Great Basin Water Network that advocates for water security in Nevada and Utah, said it’s far past time to address the Glen Canyon Dam’s infrastructure problems.
The letter reaffirms that Lower Basin officials are committed to the reality of less available water, while Upper Basin leaders try to build more reservoirs and diversions along the river, Roerink added.
“While some may view the Trump Administration as a lost cause on these matters, the Lower Basin leaders rightfully see opportunity,” Roerink said. “It is paramount that new administration officials understand the consequences of inaction for the water supply of Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix and our agricultural hubs in the Southwest.”
Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.
Alternative Draft Lower Basin States Letter by Tony Garcia on Scribd
