The Trump administration on Friday proposed sweeping water-use reductions for California, Arizona and Nevada, aiming to cut consumption by up to 3 million acre-feet annually from the drought-stricken Colorado River through 2036. The ten-year plan, reviewed every two years, spares upper-basin states — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming — from mandatory cuts.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the framework offers flexibility to respond to shifting hydrological conditions while preserving room for interstate consensus. Combined levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead have fallen to their lowest point since 1957, with federal forecasts warning Powell could drop too low to power Glen Canyon Dam turbines by year's end.
Lower-basin officials pushed back sharply. Arizona called the reductions devastating and prepared funds for potential litigation, while Representative Adelita Grijalva deemed the plan unreasonable. Nevada's governor labeled the proposed cuts unrealistic. Binding operating guidelines are expected by October 1.