Colorado River Post 2026 Operations

Several reservoir and water management decisional documents and agreements that govern the operation of Colorado River facilities and management of the Colorado River are scheduled to expire at the end of 2026. These include the 2007 Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead (2007 Interim Guidelines), the 2019 Drought Contingency Plans, as well as international agreements between the United States and Mexico pursuant to the United States-Mexico Treaty on Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande (1944 Water Treaty).

The Post-2026 process will be a multi-year NEPA process that will identify a range of alternatives and determine operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead and other water management actions for potentially decades into the future. Given the scope of the task, and the conditions facing the Colorado River Basin, the Department believes it is important to begin this process as soon as possible to provide ample time for a thorough, inclusive, and science-based decision-making process to be completed before the end of 2026.

Announcements and Events

Colorado River Post 2026 Operations
Integrated Technical Education Workgroup Session #6 - Web Tool Operational Paradigms and Uncertainties Follow Up; November 2, 2023

This session describes the role of alternative paradigms in the Post-2026 Operations Exploration Tool (Web Tool) and explains the concepts and levers that can be combined into 48 customizable paradigms in the Web Tool strategy creation interface. It also reviews the approach to representing uncertainty in hydrology, demands, and initial conditions in Web Tool modeling and describes the specific inputs chosen for each category. The webinar materials are available for review.
Scoping Summary Report, Purpose and Need, Proposed Federal Action

Reclamation published a Federal Register Notice announcing the availability of the Scoping Summary Report for the Post-2026 Process. The Scoping Summary Report provides a summary of the comments received during the public scoping process and describes the Department’s current, preliminary assessment of the proposed federal action, purpose and need, and scope of the environmental analysis to be included in the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). Read More →
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 →
Integrated Technical Education Workgroup Session #5 - Metrics, Tradeoffs, Robustness and Vulnerability; September 20, 2023

This session features academic experts from University of Colorado, Boulder, who describe the specific DMDU approach being used in the post-2026 alternatives development process. It also provides information about how Reclamation will approach specific analytical components in the Post-2026 Web Tool. The webinar materials are available for review.
Scoping Period Closed, Reclamation reviewing input received

Reclamation recently held a 60-day scoping period from June 16, 2023, to August 15, 2023. Reclamation received more than 21,000 comment submissions during the scoping period, including comments from the public, basin Tribes, basin states, federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders. Reclamation is reviewing the comments and anticipates publishing a scoping report later this fall.
Integrated Technical Education Workgroup Session #4 - Demands; August 2, 2023

This meeting describes how projections of future demands are created and used in official Colorado River Simulation System (CRSS) modeling and how demands and other inputs will be handled in the Post-2026 Web Tool. Reclamation then provides additional information about hydrology and is joined by researchers from Utah State University who present a newly developed hydrology ensemble. The webinar materials are available for review.
Integrated Technical Education Workgroup Session #3 - Hydrology; June 23, 2023

Hydrology in the Colorado River Basin is a complex and challenging system to monitor and model. This meeting provides an overview of historical hydrology including how Reclamation calculates natural flows. The Reclamation modeling team then explains the approach for modeling future hydrology using ensembles and the approach to using hydrology in the webtool. The webinar materials are available for review.
Public Scoping Webinar Presentations Available

Reclamation recently held three public scoping webinars to provide summary information and solicit public scoping comments on the development of Post-2026 Operational Guidelines and Strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The scoping webinar presentation and recordings are available for review. Reclamation is accepting public comment until August 15, 2023.
Interior Department Initiates Process to Develop Future Guidelines and Strategies for Protecting the Colorado River

June 15, 2023 – The Department of the Interior today announced that it is initiating the formal process to develop future operating guidelines and strategies to protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River. The new guidelines will replace 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 →
Integrated Technical Education Workgroup Session #2 - Colorado River Simulation System; May 3, 2023

The Colroado River Simulation System, also known as CRSS, is a comprehensive model of the Colorado River Basin and the primary tool for analyzing future river and reservoir conditions in a long-term planning context. It generates potential future conditions for many critical system components (e.g., reservoir elevations, releases, energy generation) at a monthly timestep for decades into the future. Learn more in the presentation.

Webinar Presentation
Pre-Scoping Comment Summary Report Webinar

Reclamation held a webinar on Monday, January 30th to provide information on the Post-2026 Pre-Scoping Comment Summary Report. The report summarizes the pre-scoping comments received in response to the Federal Register Notice published in June 2022. Learn more about the Pre-Scoping Process and Comments →

Webinar Presentation
Pre-Scoping Comment Summary Report

If there are questions or you would like to submit a comment, please email: crbpost2026@usbr.gov.

Current Activities

The public scoping period closed on August 15, 2023. Reclamation has reviewed the input received and published a Scoping Summary Report.

Reclamation announced a preliminary assessment of the proposed federal action and the anticipated purpose and need in the Federal Register on October 20, 2023. Reclamation is now working on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), beginning with developing a reasonable range of technically and economically feasible alternatives that meet the proposed federal action and purpose and need. The DEIS is planned to be published in December 2024.

Calendar

Nothing scheduled at this time.

Last Updated: 12/7/23