US orders Colorado River cuts of 1.25 million acre-feet for 3 states
What's next: The emergency plan covers 2027 and 2028 as the river's long-term operating rules expire in October.
Federal water managers imposed sharp Colorado River cuts for 2027 and 2028 on California, Nevada and Arizona, requiring the three states to reduce use by a combined 1.25 million acre-feet a year. Mexico will also take 250,000 acre-feet less under a bilateral treaty. Arizona faces the biggest reductions, while Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico avoid cuts for now. The Bureau of Reclamation moved after the basin's worst snowpack on record last winter and as Lake Mead and Lake Powell fell to record lows. The seven basin states still have not agreed on a long-term water-sharing framework before current rules lapse in October.