The Colorado River flowing between sandstone cliffs. The sun is shining on the far cliffs.

The Colorado River Basin, located in the southwestern United States, occupies an area of approximately 250,000 square miles. The Colorado River is approximately 1,400 miles long and originates along the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, and ends where it meets the Gulf of California in Mexico. The Colorado River is a critical resource in the West, because seven basin states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) depend on it for water supply, hydropower production, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and other benefits. Although agricultural uses depend on 70 percent of Colorado River water, between 35 and 40 million people rely on the same water for some, if not all, of their municipal needs. Moreover, the United States also has a delivery obligation to Mexico for some of the Colorado River waters pursuant to a 1944 Treaty with Mexico.


Post 2026 Colorado River Operations

Supplemental EIS for Near-term Colorado River Operations

Drought Response Operations Agreement

Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program

Upper Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program

Operating under the 2007 Interim Guidelines

Review of the 2007 Interim Guidelines & 7.D. Report


Announcements

  • Colorado River SEIS

    Biden-Harris Administration Announces Major Milestone to Protect Short-Term Stability of Colorado River Basin

    March 5, 2024 – The Biden-Harris administration today announced a significant milestone in its efforts to protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System and strengthen water security in the West. With historic water conservation enabled by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Administration has staved off the immediate possibility of the Colorado River System’s reservoirs from falling to critically low elevations that would threaten water deliveries and power production. Due to record conservation investments as well as improved hydrology, Lake Mead levels today, at elevation 1075 feet, are the highest since May 2021, when they were at 1073 feet. Read More →

  • Colorado River

    Reclamation awards $20.9 million to six salinity control projects in Colorado and Utah

    Ashley Upper and Highline Canal rehabilitation under the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control ProgramFeb. 12, 2024 – The Bureau of Reclamation today awarded $20.9 million to fund six salinity control projects in Colorado and Utah through its Basinwide and Basin States Salinity Control Programs. These projects will reduce the amount of salt in the Colorado River and its associated impacts in the basin. This funding will prevent approximately 11,661 tons of salt each year from entering the Colorado River. Quantified economic damages due to salinity in Colorado River water is currently about $332 million per year in the United States. It is estimated that damages would increase to $631 million per year without the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program. Read More →

  • Colorado River

    Reclamation formally advances options to counter threat of nonnative fish in Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam

    Glen Canyon Dam above the river and sandstone cliffs to the side and background.Feb. 7, 2024 – The Bureau of Reclamation today released a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) that analyzes varying the timing of water released from Glen Canyon Dam to disrupt the downstream establishment of nonnative fish, primarily smallmouth bass. Read More →

  • Colorado River

    Investing in America: Protecting the Colorado River

    Flowing across 1,500 miles, two countries, 30 Tribal Nations and seven states, the Colorado River is more than a river—it’s the lifeblood of the West. Vital for supporting agricultural communities, businesses and cities, it also provides carbon-free, renewable hydropower while sustaining plant and animal life at every bend in the river. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton shares how we’re deploying $2.9 billion (to date) from the President’s #BipartisanInfrastructureLaw and #InflationReductionAct to fund 400 projects that will help conserve water, including the Colorado River Basin. We’re using this funding to evaluate projects that will build long-term system efficiency – like lining canals, restoring aquatic ecosystems, and increasing water efficiency.

  • Investing in America

    Biden-Harris Administration Announces Several New Water Conservation Agreements in California to Protect the Colorado River System

    Dec. 13, 2023 – The Biden-Harris administration today announced agreements with several California water agencies to conserve up to 643,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead through 2025. The agreements include approximately $295 million in new investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of Bidenomics, which will fund projects for water conservation, water efficiency, and protection of critical environmental resources in the Colorado River System. Read More →

  • Investing in America

    Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Agreement with Imperial Irrigation District to Save 100,000 Acre-Feet of Water in Colorado River System

    Dec. 1, 2023 – The Biden-Harris administration today announced an agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) that will conserve approximately 100,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead in 2023. The agreement includes approximately $77.6 million in new investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which will fund projects for water conservation, water efficiency, and protection of critical environmental resources in the Colorado River System this year. Read More →

  • Near-term Colorado River Operations

    Biden-Harris Administration Announces Next Steps to Protect Stability and Sustainability of Colorado River Basin

    Oct. 25, 2023 – The Biden-Harris administration today announced next steps in the Administration's efforts to protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System and strengthen water security in the West. The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation released a revised draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) as part of the ongoing, collaborative effort to update the current interim operating guidelines for the near-term operation of Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams to address the ongoing drought and impacts from the climate crisis. Read More →

  • Colorado River Post 2026 Operations

    Biden-Harris Administration Advances Long-Term Planning Efforts to Protect the Colorado River System

    Oct. 10, 2023 – The Biden-Harris administration today announced next steps in the formal process to develop future operating guidelines and strategies to protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River system and strengthen water security in the West. The guidelines under development would be implemented in 2027, replacing the 2007 Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and the Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which are set to expire at the end of 2026. Read More →

  • Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan

    Reclamation analyzing Glen Canyon Dam operations to disrupt invasive fish

    Glen Canyon Dam and bridgeMay 24, 2023 – The Bureau of Reclamation today announced it is initiating the formal process to develop future alternative operations at Glen Canyon Dam aimed at disrupting invasive fish from spawning downstream. The proposed flow options would potentially run through 2027. Read More →


Current Activities

Reclamation Published the Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Notice to Solicit Comments and Hold Public Scoping Meetings on the Development of Post-2026 Operational Guidelines and Strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead on June 16, 2023. The public scoping period closed on August 15, 2023. Reclamation is reviewing the input received and has posted the comment submissions to the website. Reclamation anticipates publishing a scoping report later this fall.

Calendar

Nothing scheduled at this time.


Map of the Colorado River Basin

A map of the Colorado River Basin showing both the upper and lower basins.

Federally Recognized Tribes in the Colorado River Basin

A map of the Colorado River Basin showing the Federally Recognized Tribes within the Basin.
Last Updated: 3/6/24