Monday January 12, 2026
Courthouse News Service —
(CN) — The seven states that rely on the Colorado River for water are racing against time to avoid getting drenched by an operational plan they don’t like.
The latest alarm on the ticking clock sounded Friday with the release of a draft environmental impact statement proposing new guidelines for managing and operating Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
The statement issued by the federal Bureau of Reclamation, called an EIS, would take effect when existing agreements expire at year’s end. It’s an option the states are trying to avoid as they work toward negotiating a new agreement, as opposed to the federal government imposing one on them.