Authored by Jacki Thrapp via The Epoch Times,
The Department of the Interior will cut the amount of water it allocates through the Colorado River to Arizona, Nevada, and California in 2027 and 2028.
The cuts were signed off by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum on Aug. 21 as part of the department's 2027-2028 Operating Guidelines for the Colorado River, which provides water to over 40 million people, generates hydropower for seven states, and is a vital resource for 30 tribes and two Mexican states.
The Colorado River Basin is experiencing historically low runoff and reservoir levels amid a 26-year drought, which worsened recently after the winter of 2025-2026 resulted in the lowest observed snowpack on record.
The cuts were not a surprise to Arizona, Nevada, and California, as they pitched a temporary, two-year agreement to the Assistant Secretary of Water and Science in May in an effort to address the "deteriorating hydrologic conditions in the Colorado River system."
The Lower Basin states will see water deliveries reduced by a total of 1.25 million acre-feet annually in both 2027 and 2028, with Arizona taking a reduction of 760,000 acre-feet, California 440,000 acre-feet, and Nevada 50,000 acre-feet, according to the Interior Department press release.
The plan will see the Lower Basin states face a 21 percent reduction in water from the river in 2027 and 2028, with deeper cuts later.
But a trio of states warned
