Colorado River plan to cut water amid drought brings uncertainty for cities and farmers

Colorado River plan to cut water amid drought brings uncertainty for cities and farmers Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026 | 2 a.m. PHOENIX — On the edge of Phoenix, a small community that depends heavily on the Colorado River has limited expansion, rehabilitated old wells and negotiated water agreements. Nevertheless, Cave Creek Mayor Robert Morris said he cannot shake the feeling that the town will not be able to sustain its population of roughly 5,000 residents over the long term, and a recent federal proposal to address the worsening situation in the river basin will not alleviate those concerns. Cave Creek draws virtually all of its water from the river, which supplies about 40 million people across the U.S. West and has been shrinking because of climate change, demand and overuse. The town already imposed reductions this year and faces further cuts under the new federal plan. Morris compared the predicament to preparing for a meteor strike. “You tin spot it coming, but you can't get retired of the mode and you don't cognize what the harm is going to be,” he said. The uncertainty extends across seven U.S. states, tribal nations and Mexico. Farmers are weighing which crops merit investment. Phoenix could lose some municipal and commercial water for the first time and may need to tap backup supplies. Residents could confront higher water bills. Nevada raised the stakes this week by filing a lawsuit against the Interior Department and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, arguing that essential needs in the Las Vegas area will go unmet if the state must absorb planned reductions of up to 70 percent of its Colorado River allocation over the next decade. The bureau said Thursday it does not comment on litigation. “The uncertainty is going to proceed to physique successful the incorrect direction,” said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources. Western reservoirs hit record lows In the U.S. West, water is stored mainly in reservoirs, aquifers and snowpacks. However, a record snowfall drought means there is far less water available to replenish those sources. The two largest reservoirs in the state, which serve as gauges of the Colorado River system’s health—Lake Mead and Lake Powell—both reached record lows this month. Eight additional reservoirs managed by the Bureau of Reclamation recently registered their lowest levels in at least the past 30 years. Among them is Elephant Butte Lake in New Mexico, vital for irrigating crops in southern New Mexico, Texas and Mexico. The Green Mountain Reservoir supports the western part of Colorado, and the Guernsey Reservoir in Wyoming delivers water to farmers in the eastern portion of the state and western Nebraska. Under the Bureau of Reclamation’s plan, California, Nevada and Arizona will collectively reduce water use by 1.25 million acre‑feet (about 1.54 million cubic meters)—enough to fill more than 600,000 Olympic‑sized swimming pools—each year for the next two years, with the possibility of deeper cuts depending on conditions. Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico are not presently required to cut usage but may do so voluntarily. While El Niño could bring added moisture to the northern Rockies and the Southwest in the coming months, it will not erase decades of drought. “Drought is simply a slow-moving phenomena and it tin instrumentality immoderate clip to travel into it and besides travel retired of it,” said David Mocko, senior specialist who authored the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map. Farmers hesitate to plant John Boelts cultivates vegetables, melons, durum wheat and other crops in Yuma, Arizona—a region that produces roughly 90 percent of the leafy greens consumed in North America during winter. Farmers there hold high‑priority rights and may avoid cuts to their Colorado River supply for the next two years, but Boelts said the reprieve is insufficient for long‑term planning, making growers reluctant to plant new acreage. Citrus, date and other orchard crops that thrive in the area require years to become commercially productive, he noted. “There's nary nutrient that we turn successful a hurry,” said Boelts, president of the Arizona Farm Bureau. “Beef takes years to produce. The lettuce you devour today? A husbandman was moving connected however they would turn that harvest six positive months ago.” Ray Martinez grows alfalfa on a plot belonging to the Colorado River Indian Tribes. The tribe holds some of the river’s oldest rights; although its Arizona allocation is substantial, an outdated irrigation system and lack of infrastructure have left much of the water inaccessible. Martinez and the water agency worry about having enough water to finish this growing season. He has left certain fields fallow for years to help prop up Lake Mead. If the reservoir continues to drop, he said, surface water reaching him and neighboring farms will become further limited. “Unfortunately, Mother Nature has its ain mode of doing things, and we person nary power of that,” he added.