‘The Crisis Is Now’: Nevada Stares Down Unprecedented Colorado River Cuts
The framework lowers release levels and could trigger legal fights as states and tribes negotiate how to share shrinking supplies.
- On Wednesday, Southern Nevada Water Authority general manager John Entsminger discussed the Bureau of Reclamation's new framework at a Las Vegas summit, which mandates Nevada cut 50,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water annually for two years.
- Federal officials intervened after seven basin states failed to reach a consensus on dividing shrinking supplies, as the 1922 Colorado River Compact faces conflicting interpretations regarding "equitable apportionment" versus mandatory water delivery obligations.
- Representatives from Lower Basin states criticized the framework for exempting the four Upper Basin states from mandatory cuts, while the Arizona Department of Water Resources called potential reductions "unacceptable" for its economy.
- Former Bureau of Reclamation commissioner Mike Connor warned that basin states are "closer to compact litigation than we've ever been," even as Entsminger emphasized that litigation remains an "absolute last resort" for Nevada.
- With a final, legally binding operating plan expected by October 1, Rep. Susie Lee noted the deadline is critical as leaders consider whether to resume emergency drought funding for conservation projects.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Nevada Current
Colorado River negotiations continue as states await fed decision
John Entsminger, Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager and Nevada’s lead negotiator on the Colorado River. (Photo Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current)Nevada’s top Colorado River negotiator said lower-basin states are still pressing for adjustments and attempting to forge consensus-based alternatives before federally mandated water cuts are finalized. Last month, the Bureau of Reclamation released its long-awaited 10-year plan to manage worse…
The Dying Artery: How the Colorado River Is Being Bled Dry and What It Means for the Collapse of the American Southwest
Guest Post by Madge Waggy Civilizations don’t collapse in a single day. Instead, they unravel slowly, thread by thread, until one morning people wake up and realize the world they knew has vanished while they weren’t paying attention. Right now, across the American Southwest, that unraveling is happening in plain sight, though millions refuse to...
‘We’ve been preparing’: Colorado River talks aim for deal to avoid litigation
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- Nevada’s top water leader fielded media questions about possible litigation and the plan of action for future Colorado River water usage, adding that cooperation is preferred. John Entsminger, general manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), presented a keynote address Wednesday morning at the 4th Annual Nevada Water Summit about [...]
Las Vegas Review-Journal
‘The crisis is now’: Nevada stares down unprecedented Colorado River cuts
Nevada’s lead Colorado River negotiator said he’s still going to bat for the state behind the scenes as water managers await a final word from the Trump administration.
The Times-Independent
greatsaltlakenews.org‘Pain and suffering’: What the feds’ Lake Powell proposal means for Utah and other Colorado River states
After years of analysis and stalled negotiations, the federal government last month finally laid out its proposal for managing the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs for the next decade. A boat makes its way to Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell as high water marks indicate how much the reservoir has receded on Friday, April 24, 2026. Photo by Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune The Bureau of Reclamation still needs to release its final decis…
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