Water Rights

The Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada are asking for a fresh look at proposals for sharing the shrinking water supply and changes to Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam.

President Donald Trump froze billions of dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act that was designed to protect water supplies for cities, farms and tribes.

States that use the Colorado River say they don't want to go to the Supreme Court, but some are quietly preparing for litigation.

Negotiations over the water supply for 40 million people are hinged on how you interpret the words "will not cause," written into the century-old Colorado River Compact.

On the Navajo Nation, officials say about a third of people don't have access to clean water. Back in 2009, Congress authorized a massive infrastructure project designed to address this by bringing water to more than 250,000 people, from the San Juan river. But it's not done and Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren is asking Congress to authorize five more years' work, and increase the budget.

A coalition of environmental groups has proposed a set of new rules for managing the Colorado River amid heated negotiations about how to share the water supply, which is shrinking due to climate changed.

The decades-long battle between Texas and New Mexico over Rio Grande water rights will be heard at the Supreme Court next week. Source New Mexico’s Danielle Prokop told KUNM that this is the culmination of legal fights after drought shocked the region in the early 2000’s.

The Gila River Indian Tribe (GRIC) in Arizona said it does not support the Lower Basin's proposal for post-2026 river management, adding a new layer to complicated negotiations.

Water negotiators from states around the Southwest said they are planning to submit separate proposals to the Bureau of Reclamation about managing the Colorado River after 2026.

The recently approved state budget sent to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham increases funds for environmental conservation efforts, but some say it’s not enough.