Trump Administration Proposes 40% Colorado River Water Cuts

The Trump administration has proposed a 10-year framework that could mandate water reductions of up to 3 million acre-feet per year from the Colorado River, roughly 40 percent of the combined allotments for Arizona, California, and Nevada. The Bureau of Reclamation presented the plan to state water managers in Phoenix after seven basin states missed a February deadline to reach their own consensus on dividing the river's shrinking supply.

The federal intervention targets severely depleted levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell and follows the expiration of a 20-year water-sharing agreement. The proposed cuts significantly exceed what lower-basin states have offered voluntarily. Those states — Arizona, California, and Nevada — initially proposed reductions of 1.6 million acre-feet annually, later revising their offer to 3.25 million acre-feet through 2028. The federal plan, set for finalization this summer with evaluations every two years, may rely on the 1922 Colorado River Compact, which grants California the highest water priority.

Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, warned the plan could result in zero water flows through the Central Arizona Project. Patrick J. Adams, senior water policy adviser to the Arizona governor, also expressed alarm. Upper-basin states — Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico — have resisted any cuts, arguing downstream states bear responsibility for shortages, and have requested a mediator. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum indicated the Bureau of Reclamation would manage the dispute, with Acting Commissioner Scott Linebrink having previously urged states toward a consensus approach. The Bureau is now consulting with states, tribes, and Mexico ahead of a final decision.