Overview
- The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation published a Final Environmental Impact Statement on July 31 that models large Lower Basin cuts and lays out a preferred 10-year framework with two-year check‑ins; a formal Record of Decision and a two‑year operating plan are expected before operations for 2027 begin.
- Arizona water director Tom Buschatzke sent a formal objection saying the plan may exceed federal authority and could cause ‘catastrophic harm,’ and the state and the City of Phoenix have hired outside law firms to prepare possible litigation.
- Record-low Lake Mead levels, reported around 1,040.4 feet, have accelerated local action as Phoenix-area cities are signing federal paid‑conservation deals that pay roughly $325 per acre-foot to leave water in the reservoir.
- The Colorado River Indian Tribes have urged the feds to delay a final decision and demand government‑to‑government consultation, citing senior tribal water rights and limited review time for the thousands of pages of analysis.
- The dispute plays out against a longer history of over-allocation and drought, the Biden administration’s roughly $4 billion IRA fund for river work, and near-term risks to hydropower at Glen Canyon and Hoover dams that could affect millions of water and power users.