After years of analysis and stalled negotiations, the federal government last month finally laid out its proposal for managing the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs for the next decade. … It doesn’t solve all issues, though. If drought conditions don’t improve, Reclamation said in its analysis that “even large and unprecedented reductions may be needed and may not be enough to stabilize storage” at Lake Powell and Lake Mead. “The scary thing about all of this is that none of this solves the problem if the world keeps getting drier,” [Jack] Schmidt [senior research scientist at Utah State University’s Center for Colorado River Studies] said. “That should be taken as an enormous warning for the desperate need to reduce the impact of a warming planet and the drying of the Colorado River Basin.”

Other Colorado River management news:

• Eastern Arizona Courier (Safford, Ariz.): Gallego opposes deeper Colorado River cuts for Arizona
• ABC15 (Phoenix): Gilbert looks to secure water supply before expected Colorado River cuts
• East Valley Tribune (Tempe, Ariz.): Mayor, city react to feds’ Colorado River proposal
• Snell & Wilmer: Blog: Reclamation’s post-2026 Colorado River plan puts Utah water, energy, and development planning in focus
• JD Supra: Blog: New federal framework charts the Colorado River’s next decade
• Arizona Municipal Water Users Association: Blog: How the AMWUA cities have been preparing for a smaller Colorado River
• The Land Desk: Blog: Deadpool data dump: The Western water situation is dire