The Colorado River Has New Guidelines, but the Underlying Challenges Remain

Nevada preached peace on the Colorado River. Now it's suing to protect its water.

The state’s lawsuit claims the federal government’s plan for the river could strip Las Vegas of two-thirds of its water supply.

The Colorado River Has New Guidelines, but the Underlying Challenges Remain

What we do next will determine the river’s future

History | Elwood Mead’s hard lessons for a shrinking river

Elwood Mead arrived in Cheyenne in 1888 to sort out Wyoming’s water law before it had any. Territorial Governor Thomas Moonlight had offered the 30-year-old Mead the job sight unseen. When they finally met, Moonlight had second thoughts: “I had no idea you were so young,” he told Mead. “I’m sure you will fail.” His name now belongs to Lake Mead, the reservoir behind Hoover Dam, roughly 300 miles downstream from Lake Powell. This summer, both res…

What the new rules for a shrinking Colorado River mean for tribal nations

‘None of us is in the exact same situation.’ The post What the new rules for a shrinking Colorado River mean for tribal nations appeared first on High Country News.

Interior Department finalizes 2027-2028 Colorado River guidelines as reservoirs hit record lows

The Department of the Interior has issued its 2027-2028 Operating Guidelines and Record of Decision for post-2026 Colorado River operations, establishing a 10-year decision framework to stabilize the river system, protect critical dam infrastructure, and mandate significant water delivery cuts across the West. Driven by a 26-year multidecadal drought and record-low winter snowpack during 2025-2026, the combined storage of Lake Powell and Lake Me…