Colorado River Basin

The Colorado River Basin, located in the southwestern United States, occupies an area of approximately 250,000 square miles. The Colorado River is approximately 1,400 miles long and originates along the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, and ends where it meets the Gulf of California in Mexico. The Colorado River is a critical resource in the West, because seven basin states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) depend on it for water supply, hydropower production, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and other benefits. Although agricultural uses depend on 70 percent of Colorado River water, between 35 and 40 million people rely on the same water for some, if not all, of their municipal needs. Moreover, the United States also has a delivery obligation to Mexico for some of the Colorado River waters pursuant to a 1944 Treaty with Mexico.

Featured Areas

Post 2026 Colorado River Operations

Supplemental EIS for Near-term Colorado River Operations

Drought Response Operations Agreement

Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program

Upper Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program

Operating under the 2007 Interim Guidelines

Review of the 2007 Interim Guidelines & 7.D. Report

Announcements

• Colorado River

  The Colorado River - People, Partnerships, and Investments

  The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the American Southwest. The Bureau of Reclamation has taken actions to secure the basin now and into the future. Reclamation invested over $5 billion for more than 200 projects in the Colorado River Basin. In the lower basin, 25 conservation agreements have been signed that conserved 2.28 million acre-feet of the 3 million-acre-feet committed by the lower basin states. Lake Mead is up 20 feet from two years ago. First steps in signing long-term conservation agreements are underway with a $107 million investment into three Gila River Indian community projects, conserving 73,000 acre-feet of water. In the upper basin, $44.3 million in 174 drought projects has been invested to conserve water. These efforts and improved hydrology have increased Lake Powell by 50-feet since 2021. Long-term conservation agreements are in the works and will be announced soon.

• Reclamation provides an update on Post-2026 process and alternatives at Colorado River Water Users Association Meeting

  Dec. 5, 2024 Reclamation's Carly Jerla provided an update on Lake Powell & Lake Mead Operations Post-2026. View presentation

  

• Colorado River

  Reclamation Celebrates Almost $1 Billion in Conservation Efforts in the Colorado River Basin with Tribal Partners

  Dec. 4, 2024 – The Bureau of Reclamation today hosted a signing ceremony celebration with the San Carlos Apache Tribe, Quechan Indian Tribe, Colorado River Indian Tribes, Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe, and White Mountain Apache Tribe to celebrate new initiatives with a total investment of over $43.7 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and annual appropriations. These new agreements aimed at providing a more sustainable and reliable water use in the Basin and build on progress already underway on water conservation agreements totaling $888 million. Read More →

• Biden-Harris Administration Puts Colorado River on Path to Success

  Nov. 20, 2024 – Since Day One of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of the Interior has led critical discussions over how to bring the Colorado River back from the brink of crisis in the face of a 24-year drought. Having achieved overwhelming success in 2023 on interim operation plans to guide operations through 2026 with a historic consensus agreement, and following more than a year of collaboration with the states and Tribes who call the Colorado River Basin home, the Biden-Harris administration today released the next step in a responsible path to guide post-2026 operations for the Colorado River. Read More →

  Alternative Development

• Colorado River Post 2026 Operations

  Status Update Webinar-Alternatives Development

  Reclamation held a webinar on Thursday, October 10, 2024, to provide a status update on the Post-2026 Process, including an overview of the ongoing work to develop NEPA alternatives.

  
  Webinar Presentation
• Colorado River

  Biden-Harris Administration Marks Major Progress for Colorado River System Health, Signs Five New Water Conservation Agreements

  Sept. 25, 2024 – The Department of the Interior today marked major progress for the short and long-term health of the Colorado River System. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton joined leaders from the Imperial Irrigation District (California), Bard Water District (California), Metropolitan Water District (California) and Gila River Indian Community (Arizona) to sign five water conservation agreements that will leverage funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to help advance water conservation across the West. Read More →

• Operations

  Reclamation announces 2025 operating conditions for Lake Powell and Lake Mead

  Aug. 15, 2024 – The Bureau of Reclamation today released the Colorado River Basin August 2024 24-Month Study, which determines the operating tiers for the coordinated operation of Lake Powell and Lake Mead for 2025. Based on projections in the study, Lake Powell will operate in a Mid-Elevation Release Tier in water year 2025 and Lake Mead will operate in a Level 1 Shortage Condition with required shortages by Arizona and Nevada, coupled with Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan water savings contributions, in calendar year 2025. Mexico’s water delivery, which includes reductions and water savings, is consistent with Minutes 323 and 330. Read More →

• Colorado River

  Reclamation begins cold water flows to disrupt spawning of nonnative fish below Glen Canyon Dam

  July 5, 2024 – As a result of warmer river temperatures, the Bureau of Reclamation will begin releasing deeper, and therefore, colder water on Tuesday, July 9 from Lake Powell through Glen Canyon Dam to disrupt the establishment of smallmouth bass, which could negatively affect populations of threatened humpback chub below the dam. The need for these flows was triggered after the average observed daily water temperatures reached smallmouth bass reproduction thresholds above 15.5 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit) at the confluence of the Colorado River with the Little Colorado River. Read More →

• Colorado River

  Reclamation finalizes environmental process to combat nonnative fish below Glen Canyon Dam

  July 3, 2024 – The Bureau of Reclamation today finalized its process to protect the humpback chub and other federally protected fish species with the signing of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the 2016 Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan Final Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision. Reclamation initiated the environmental review process in response to the increasing numbers of smallmouth bass in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam. Read More →