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

  Reclamation updates Colorado River consumptive uses and losses data

  June 7, 2024 – The Bureau of Reclamation has updated its Colorado River System Consumptive Uses and Losses Report using recalculated data. The report presents recalculated estimates for calendar years 1971 to 2015 in the lower system and 1971 to 2023 in the upper system. Reclamation developed the updated data using consistent and current methodologies within each basin to improve the accuracy of the data across years and between reports. Read More →

• Investing in America

  Biden-Harris Administration Announces $700 Million from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda for Long-Term Water Conservation in the Lower Colorado River Basin

  June 6, 2024 – The Department of the Interior today announced an initial $700 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for long-term water conservation projects across the Lower Colorado River Basin. This investment – which has the potential to save more than 700,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead – will fund innovative projects like water distribution structures, advanced metering infrastructure, farm efficiency improvements, canal lining, turf removal, groundwater banking, desalination, recycling water and water purification. These projects are critical for enhancing the long-term drought and climate resilience of the Colorado River’s Lower Basin. Read More →

• Glen Canyon Dam

  Reclamation releases environmental analysis on combating nonnative fish in Colorado River using flows from Glen Canyon Dam

  May 30, 2024 – The Bureau of Reclamation today released the Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement that analyzes various flow options from Glen Canyon Dam to prevent the expansion of nonnative fish, primarily smallmouth bass. This document supplements the 2016 Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision. Read More →

• Colorado River SEIS

  Reclamation finalizes SEIS process to address drought and climate impacts on Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam

  May 9, 2024 – The Bureau of Reclamation today finalized its process to protect the short-term stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System by signing the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for Near-term Colorado River Operations Record of Decision. The Department of the Interior released the final SEIS in March 2024. Read More →

• Colorado River

  Investing in America: Protecting the Colorado River

  Flowing across 1,500 miles, two countries, 30 Tribal Nations and seven states, the Colorado River is more than a river—it’s the lifeblood of the West. Vital for supporting agricultural communities, businesses and cities, it also provides carbon-free, renewable hydropower while sustaining plant and animal life at every bend in the river. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton shares how we’re deploying $2.9 billion (to date) from the President’s #BipartisanInfrastructureLaw and #InflationReductionAct to fund 400 projects that will help conserve water, including the Colorado River Basin. We’re using this funding to evaluate projects that will build long-term system efficiency – like lining canals, restoring aquatic ecosystems, and increasing water efficiency.