In a major escalation of tensions between the seven states that share the Colorado River, Nevada officials have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s order for cuts in water use. The complaint, filed early Monday morning in the U.S. District Court of Nevada, asserts that the federal government’s operating plan unlawfully authorizes the federal government to reduce the state’s allocation of the river by up to 71 percent annually, or a 213,556 acre-feet reduction. Such a cut would slash the state’s share of water far past its actual use, which came in at 198,000 acre-feet last year. Lawyers for the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the state as a whole requested an injunction to halt implementation.

Other Colorado River management news:

• KLAS (Las Vegas): Nevada files lawsuit against federal government over Colorado River water cuts
• Nevada Current: Feds announce water cuts under new Colorado River plan
• KJZZ (Phoenix): A new Colorado River plan is heading for Arizona lawmakers. Do they have the power to change it?
• Arizona Mirror: Arizona to bear the brunt of Colorado River cuts for two years as long-term talks continue
• KUNC (Greeley, Colo.): Colorado is spared from mandatory cuts as feds finalize Colorado River rules for next two years
• The Colorado Sun (Denver): 3 downstream Colorado River states will bear the brunt of water cuts under new 2-year plan
• FOX13 (Salt Lake City): Feds finalize plan for managing the Colorado River with no state deal
• WyoFile: Burgum OKs Colorado River plan, sparing cuts to Wyoming water use
• Los Angeles Times: As Colorado River reservoirs plummet, the Trump administration orders water cuts
• Courthouse News Service: Three Colorado River states agree to massive water cuts
• E&E News by Politico: Feds impose Colorado River cuts as reservoirs hit record lows
• The New York Times: America’s desert metropolis is on the short list to lose water