Feds Unveil Colorado River Options as States Miss Agreement Deadline

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics

Two months after the seven states of the Colorado River basin failed to reach consensus on managing the waterway, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issued a set of proposed alternatives.

The alternatives are familiar concepts, including “no action” — an unlikely scenario — and certain levels of coordination, including voluntary measures, among the states. One option is driven by the historical, natural flow at one of the reservoirs.

Current operating guidelines for the river that supplies water to seven states, 40 million people, 30 tribes and 5.5 million acres of agricultural land will expire at the end of 2026. 

On Jan. 9, the Bureau issued a draft Environmental Impact Statement that evaluates five operational alternatives for managing the river. The Bureau did not decide on a preferred alternative, hoping for a “potential collective agreement” among the seven states.

In a statement, Andrea Travnicek, the assistant secretary at the Department of the Interior for water and science, said the department “is moving forward  to ensure environmental compliance is in place so operations can continue without interruption when the current guidelines expire.”

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