The Trump administration is preparing to take drastic action to keep the West’s most important river flowing to cities, farms and through hydropower turbines after a warm, dry winter has forecasters warning of record low flows down the waterway this year. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation is planning to cut releases out of one of the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs — Lake Powell — to the lowest level that’s legally permissible, while at the same time moving a massive amount of water from upstream reservoirs to bolster Powell’s water levels, according to an internal report from Arizona’s top water officials obtained by POLITICO. The report says Reclamation’s plans are not yet final but that the emergency actions could begin as soon as [this] week.

Other Colorado River management news:

• WyoFile: ‘It’s incredibly bad’: No end in sight to Colorado River water crisis
• Cowboy State Daily (Cheyenne, Wyo.): Flaming Gorge could be tapped to make up for ‘horrible’ Colorado River levels
• KJZZ (Phoenix): Conservation isn’t enough for the Colorado River’s drier future, ASU water expert says
• KJZZ (Phoenix): Reps. Biggs and Stanton say Colorado River states need drought mitigation funding now
• ABC15 (Phoenix): New federal plan for sharing the Colorado River could come in April
• Vail Daily (Colo.): Colorado River projected to deliver one-fifth of normal water to Lake Powell after ‘astonishing’ March heatwave