Economy · Colorado River · ArchiveFederal Government Seizes Control of Shrinking Colorado River: Who Gets Less?Aired August 1, 2026 at 5:23 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00For the first time in decades, the0:01federal government has stepped in to0:03manage the shrinking Colorado River. On0:05July 31st, 2026, the Bureau of0:08Reclamation released a 10-year0:09environmental impact statement that0:11overrides years of deadlock among the0:13seven basin states. The river supplies0:16nearly 40 million people across seven0:18states and northwestern Mexico, but a0:20climate change fueled drought over the0:22past 25 years has reduced its flow to0:2520% below what the 1922 Colorado River0:28Compact assumed.0:29That compact, negotiated during an0:32unusually wet period, divided the river0:34into upper and lower basins, each0:36assured 7.5 million acre-feet annually,0:39water the river has not delivered in a0:41long time. Lake Powell and Lake Mead,0:44the two giant reservoirs behind Glen0:46Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam, are at0:47all-time lows. The new federal blueprint0:50lets the Bureau of Reclamation make0:52case-by-case decisions on dam releases0:54and shortage levels for farmers and0:56cities based on reservoir health. The0:58rules will probably bring significant1:00cutbacks, but those cutbacks may not be1:02enough. Agriculture uses 75% of the1:04Colorado's water, while cities in the1:06West have already conserved1:07aggressively.1:14Closing the gap means farmers will have1:16to use less water, plant crops that need1:18less, or go out of business. Sarah1:21Porter of Arizona State University1:22called this the first federal1:24intervention in Colorado River water1:26management in decades. More details of1:28the actual plan are expected next week.1:30The dispute will almost certainly end up1:32in the US Supreme Court. Some scenarios1:34could eventually lead to steep cuts, but1:36the most immediate effects will be felt1:37over the next 2 years.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗