Click the link to read the article on the Steamboat Pilot & Today website (Ali Longwell). Here’s an excerpt:
February 20, 2025
The deadline for the U.S. Department of Interior to determine the post-2026 future of Lake Powell and Lake Mead — and the entire Colorado River basin — is now six months away. As precarious negotiations continue between the Upper and Lower Basin stakeholders, the new presidential administration has also cast concerns on the future of the critical water system.
“Honestly, I’ve seen nothing out of the administration that suggests that they even know there is a Colorado River,” said Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet during a press call on Thursday, Feb. 13. “I had a daily conversation with somebody at least, probably three times a day, in my office with somebody on the Colorado River, and we’ve seen nothing so far.”
[…]
On Thursday, Feb. 20, Colorado water officials provided state lawmakers in the House Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee with a high-level update on the negotiations, which will set the basin’s future operating regime…In November, the Bureau of Reclamation released a document with five management options for the river’s post-2026 future. [Becky] Mitchell said that the Upper Basin states submitted an alternative that offers a more sustainable supply-driven approach to management, rather than allowing downstream demand to dictate releases. These states have also agreed to consider conservation efforts and strategic releases, she said…While elements of the Upper Basin’s proposal — and what was proposed by Lower Basin states— have been incorporated into the Bureau of Reclamation’s alternatives, negotiations are attempting to strike a balance…
“I’m hopeful that the change in administration won’t cause a significant change in policy direction on Colorado River issues. It hasn’t in the past, and I’m hopeful that it won’t now,” [Anne] Castle said. “But I’m less optimistic about that than I was a month ago. I still think that’s the case, but now I’m not sure.”
