https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3604171-feds-cut-colorado-river-allocation-to-arizona-nevada-as-talks-fail/ Refresh (2700 sec) Skip to content Toggle Menu TheHill.com * [ ] [Search] Close search form * News + Senate + House + Administration + Campaign + Regulation + Business + Media + Briefing Room + Latino + Morning Report + 12:30 Report + State Watch + In The Know + Sunday Talk Shows + People in the News + Print Edition * Policy + Defense + Energy & Environment + Finance + Healthcare + Technology + Transportation + International + Cybersecurity + National Security + Sustainability * Opinion + Columnists + Congress Blog + All Contributors o Campaign o Civil Rights o Criminal Justice o Cybersecurity o Education o Energy and Environment o Finance o Healthcare o Immigration o International o Judiciary o National Security o Technology o White House + Submit Opinion Content * Events + Upcoming Events + About * Jobs + The Hill Jobs + National Jobs * Newsletters * THE HILL TV * Changing America + Respect + Sustainability + Enrichment + Resilience + Well-Being * Sign up to our latest Newsletter Sign Up * Search trending: * Mar-a-Lago search * Abortion * Joe Biden sponsored: * Policy Minute Just In... * Health Care -- Landmark drug pricing legislation signed into law Overnight Healthcare - 10m 12s ago * Why Congress needs to pass an imperfect, temporary extension for DACA Congress Blog - 18m 56s ago * Hillicon Valley -- Meta releases plan for midterm content Overnight Technology - 28m 25s ago * Dallas-based startup plans to revive the extinct Tasmanian tiger Science - 35m 32s ago * Fetterman campaign raises $500K in wake of viral Oz 'crudite' video Campaign - 40m 53s ago * Pennsylvania governor signs executive order banning LGBTQ+ conversion therapy Equality - 47m 32s ago * NotedDC -- Nadler, Maloney prepare for face-off News - 50m 19s ago * Thank young people for the Inflation Reduction Act Energy and Environment - 1h 18m ago View all Load more Energy & Environment Feds cut Colorado River allocation to Arizona, Nevada as talks fail by Zack Budryk - 08/16/22 2:16 PM ET Share Tweet ... [ ] More Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Whatsapp Email States along the Colorado River have officially missed a federally imposed deadline to develop a new water-sharing agreement, and the federal government on Tuesday announced new water allocation reductions, including nearly 25 percent in cuts to Arizona. The Colorado River basin serves seven states -- an Upper Basin of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, and a lower one of Arizona, California and Nevada -- and its waters are allocated based on the terms of a century-old agreement from when there was substantially more water in the river. Meanwhile, the region is facing a 20-years-and-counting drought, the worst in centuries. In June, the Interior Department gave the states 60 days to agree on a new allocation plan for an additional 15 percent reduction on top of expected federal reductions before the federal government stepped in. That period expired Tuesday. In a news conference Tuesday, federal Bureau of Reclamation officials announced cuts to the yearly water allocation to Arizona and Nevada, as well as Mexico, which is also party to the compact. The bureau will withhold about 21 percent of Arizona's yearly water allocation next year, as well as 8 percent of Nevada's. California will not see its allocation affected, and no immediate changes are planned for the Upper Basin. "Everything blew up" in negotiations last week, Kyle Roerink, executive director at the Great Basin Water Network, told The Hill in an interview. "You had some parties bringing a good chunk of water to the table. Others didn't even want to be bothered with coming to the table with anything meaningful," Roerink said. As a result, as of Monday evening, the states had not reached an agreement "as the nation's largest reservoirs rapidly deplete themselves." In January, Lake Mead will be at the level required for a Tier 2 shortage, 1,050 feet below sea level, for the first time ever, according to federal officials. Roerink called the breakdown a microcosm of the poor relations among stakeholders on the river. The major players, whom he dubbed the "water buffaloes," have "touted their ability to collaborate and coordinate and negotiate in a civilized manner, but if the last week is any indicator, folks are not singing 'Kumbaya,' they are sharpening their knives," he said. Rather than negotiate towards a mutually beneficial agreement, he said, parties have been focused on reaching an arrangement that benefits them at the expense of others. "What we are seeing is a situation where folks are talking about for legislation, litigation, other tactics to try and get the best deal, they believe, for their respective constituencies," he said. "But I think one way to describe what we're seeing so far is that there are entities out there that think this is a zero-sum game." John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, specifically blamed what he referred to as "drought profiteering" in a Monday letter to federal officials. "Over the last 20 years, there's been several years where there were opportunities to not take all the water from the system, but we still did," said Christopher Kuzdas, a senior water program manager with the Environmental Defense Fund. "So we kept drawing down our water supplies in Lake Mead and Lake Powell. And so those water supplies in those lakes, almost roughly 60 million acre-feet of water, that's been our buffer that has allowed us to keep going forward using more water than actually provided by the river each year." Now, however, water use has exceeded the cushion Lakes Mead and Powell provided, Kuzdas said. Compounding the issue, another abnormally dry winter in the Rocky Mountains could reduce runoff from snowpack to the point that there is insufficient storage in the two reservoirs to avert "a major water supply system failure." Notably, one X-factor is present that wasn't there in June: billions of dollars in drought preparedness funds for the river from the Inflation Reduction Act, the tax and climate package President Biden is signing into law Tuesday. The law includes $4 billion in funds to rent, buy or save water for the beleaguered basin. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton and other federal officials emphasized in Tuesday's phone call the flexibility the funds will provide, but acknowledged the reality of the cuts as well. "As dire as this situation is, there are reasons for encouragement," Deputy Interior Secretary Tommy Beaudreau said. "We're bringing resources to the table in the form of infrastructure investments to help with water delivery, improvement so the system to support efficiency, and support for users, including irrigators, as everyone has to tighten their belts in this situation." Kuzdas called the funds in the Inflation Reduction Act "a really positive element" in charting a path forward. However, he said, the affected area will still need to develop more long-term plans to adjust for water use in line with the available supply of water in a warmer world. Health Care -- Landmark drug pricing legislation signed into law Hillicon Valley -- Meta releases plan for midterm content "Are we going to need a lot more funding to do that? Probably ... But we've kind of started going down the path where we're looking at real lasting, durable solutions that involve less water use year over year as a pattern, probably permanently," he said. "I think the question then ultimately becomes, well, if money is the only way to solve all these problems, are we going to be putting ourselves in a position where year after year, Uncle Sam open up his checkbook?" Roerink said. --Updated at 3:17 p.m. Tags Share Tweet ... [ ] More Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Whatsapp Email More Energy & Environment News See All [WuMichelle] Energy & Environment Boston mayor seeks to ban fossil fuels in new buildings by Olafimihan Oshin 2 hours ago Energy & Environment / 2 hours ago [BidenJoe_M] Administration Biden signs expansive health, climate bill into law by Alex Gangitano and Morgan Chalfant 3 hours ago Administration / 3 hours ago [AP22216681] Energy & Environment Biden administration nearly doubling number of zero-emission buses with infrastructure funds by Rachel Frazin 4 hours ago Energy & Environment / 4 hours ago [WhitmerGre] Campaign Evergreen places six-figure ad buy highlighting Michigan, Nevada clean energy investments by Zach Schonfeld 13 hours ago Campaign / 13 hours ago See All Video/Hill.TV See all Hill.TV See all Video [article_im] Rising Rising: August 16, 2022 by TheHill.com 08/16/22 10:03 AM ET Rising / 9 hours ago [article_im] Rising Rising: August 15, 2022 by TheHill.com 08/15/22 9:52 AM ET Rising / 1 day ago [Rising-Fri] Rising Rising: August 12, 2022 by TheHill.com 08/12/22 10:17 AM ET Rising / 4 days ago See all Hill.TV See all Video Top Stories See All [34228eea94] National Security Trump's declassification claim may offer limited defense by Rebecca Beitsch 1 hour ago National Security / 1 hour ago [hagemanhar] Campaign Five things to watch in Alaska, Wyoming primaries by Julia Manchester 13 hours ago Campaign / 13 hours ago [BidenJoe_M] Administration Biden signs expansive health, climate bill into law by Alex Gangitano and Morgan Chalfant 3 hours ago Administration / 3 hours ago [trumpdonal] House Trump surprises some Republicans with endorsements by Emily Brooks 13 hours ago House / 13 hours ago See All Most Popular 1. Tucker Carlson: Trump ... 2. Trump's declassification claim may ... 3. Feds cut Colorado River allocation to ... 4. Demings up by 4 points in challenge ... 5. Fetterman campaign raises $500K in ... 6. Giuliani on being told he's target ... 7. Politics aside, the unsealing of the ... 8. Laura Ingraham: Voters might say ... 9. Dog tests positive for monkeypox in ... 10. The Hill's 12:30 Report ... 11. Weisselberg to plead guilty in Trump ... 12. Dodge discontinuing gas-powered ... 13. Trump says temperature 'has to be ... 14. Nearly 2 million fewer students have ... 15. Alec Baldwin compares Liz Cheney to ... 16. Trump surprises some Republicans with ... 17. Grow it here, do it right: The case ... 18. Five things to watch in ... Load more Video * Watch live: Biden signs Inflation Reduction Act into law Video * Watch live: Pelosi holds press briefing ahead of vote on Inflation Reduction Act Video * Merrick Garland Watch live: Garland delivers remarks after FBI search at Mar-a-Lago Video * [322e421eaa] The evolving legal landscape of state abortion access Video * Watch live: Karine Jean-Pierre holds press briefing Video See all Video DON'T MISS A BRIEF. SIGN UP FOR OUR DAILY EMAIL. [ ] [Send] TheHill.com News * Senate * House * Campaign * Administration * Regulation * Media * Briefing Room * Latino * 12:30 Report * Coronavirus Report * Floor Action * In The Know * Sunday Talk Shows * More Policy * Defense * Energy & Environment * Finance * Healthcare * Technology * International * Transportation * Cybersecurity * National Security * Sustainability * More Video * Latest * Defense * Energy & Environment * Finance * Healthcare * Technology * Transportation * International * Cybersecurity * National Security * Sunday Shows * Events * More Opinion * Contributors to The Hill * Columnists * Congress Blog * More Resources * The Hill Apps * People * RSS Other Areas * Galleries * The Hill Jobs * National Jobs Contributors * Submit Opinion Content Follow Us On Get the App Get the Android app from Google Play Get the Android app from Google Play Get the iOS app from App Store Get the iOS app from App Store * Do not sell my personal information * SUBSCRIPTIONS * PRIVACY POLICY * TERMS & CONDITIONS * CONTACT * ADVERTISE * * NewsNation * BestReviews * Nexstar Digital THE HILL 1625 K STREET, NW SUITE 900 WASHINGTON DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 TEL | 202-628-8503 FAX (c) 1998 - 2022 Nexstar Inc. | All Rights Reserved. x Close Ad