Nevada is expected to give up more than a quarter of its allocated Colorado River water — 84,000 acre-feet — over the next two years under a federal operating framework plan that cuts distributions to three states and is expected to be officially released this week. Nevada holds by far the smallest share of the Colorado River of any of the three Lower Basin states — just 300,000 acre-feet, compared with Arizona’s 2.8 million and California’s 4.4 million. And it uses less than it is allocated — only about 212,000 acre-feet of its allocation in 2024, according to the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), recycling the vast majority of its water and sending it back to Lake Mead for credit. That restraint hasn’t been enough to escape the reckoning. 

Other Colorado River management news:

• ABC4 (Salt Lake City): Decision expected soon over Colorado River water usage: Here’s what to know
• FOX13 (Salt Lake City): Poll says overwhelming majority worries about the Colorado River
• KJZZ (Phoenix): Arizonans worry about water and want politicians to do something about it, new poll says
• KTAR (Phoenix): Lake Powell could lose the ability to generate power by early 2027
• Walton Family Foundation: Blog: Americans in all seven Colorado River Basin states believe addressing diminishing Colorado River water supplies is a priority