Feds outline 'necessary steps' for Colorado River agreement by 2026 but no recommendation yet

Federal water officials have made public what they call “necessary steps” for the seven states and multiple tribes that rely on the Colorado River to meet an August 2026 deadline for deciding how to manage the waterway in the future. Officials with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Biden administration on Wednesday outlined four proposals for action and one “no action” alternative. But they have made no decisions or recommendations for managing the river amid climate change and drought. The outline uses parts of competing proposals submitted last March by Upper Basin states Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming; Lower Basin states California, Arizona and Nevada; and Native American tribes with rights to the river.