The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation late last week announced a preferred course of action on future Colorado River operations.
The document is intended to help shape interim operating rules for 2027 and 2028 as the seven basin states including Arizona negotiate a longer-term agreement. A decades-long drought means states are having the difficult talk about cutting back on water usage.
Arizona officials say they don't agree with any plan where the state would give up more water than northern states.
Meghan Scott is a coordinator with the Yuma County Agricultural Water Coalition. She said local water leaders are waiting to hear more specific details any day now.
"Not only in the Yuma area but across the Lower Basin or at least within Arizona we're making a deal now so we can create some certainty and know what operations will look like," Scott told KAWC.
The document the Bureau of Reclamation released is a final environmental impact statement regarding Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Officials say it is flexible to respond to changing conditions over a 10-year period through 2036.
Officials say the final environmental impact statement is the conclusion of a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process that began in 2023.
The Colorado River provides water for more than 40 million people, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior, with 30 tribes including the Colorado River Indian Tribes in Parker. It sustains 5.5 million acres of farm land and agricultural communities.
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Stay tuned to KAWC for the latest on Colorado River negotiations, especially in regards to Yuma and La Paz counties.
