Arizona, California and Nevada have put forward a new short-term Colorado River proposal aimed at protecting Lake Mead and Lake Powell while the Basin states continue working toward a longer-term agreement. The proposal comes at a critical time, as the Colorado River system continues to face worsening drought, shrinking runoff and growing pressure from cities, farms and communities that depend on the river. According to KOLD 13 Tucson, the three Lower Basin states submitted a plan to reduce their use of Colorado River water by at least 3.2 million acre-feet through 2028 as the nation’s two largest reservoirs remain under serious stress.
The proposal is being described as a temporary bridge, not a permanent fix. Utah Public Radio reported that the Lower Basin states offered the plan after about two years of disagreement with the Upper Basin states over who should take cuts and how deep those reductions should be. The current Colorado River operating agreements are set to expire in October, and federal officials have warned they may step in if the Basin states do not reach a deal.
For Arizona, the proposal could make future water cuts less severe than what federal officials had previously considered. KJZZ reported that the plan would help Phoenix-area cities avoid the deepest cuts that had been proposed for the Central Arizona Project, the 336-mile canal system that carries Colorado River water to the Phoenix and Tucson areas. Although Arizona would still leave some of its water in the river, the new proposal would move the state away from what Central Arizona Project officials had described as potentially “devastating” reductions.
Arizona would still carry a major share of the reductions. KOLD reported that Arizona would pledge to conserve 760,000 acre-feet of water per year under the Lower Basin proposal. In southern Arizona, Tucson Water said its ability to order future water could be reduced by about 20%. The report also noted that Arizona’s junior water rights status made the federal government’s earlier draft proposal especially concerning for the state. Under this new proposal, water officials said the burden would be spread more broadly across Arizona, California and Nevada.
The Arizona Municipal Water Users Association said the proposal may buy time, but it does not remove the larger problem. AMWUA reported that cities and municipal water providers in Arizona would still have at least 20% less Colorado River water for the next two years. That reduction is significant, but AMWUA said it is smaller than the cuts proposed in the Bureau of Reclamation’s January draft Environmental Impact Statement. In other words, the plan may give cities more time to prepare for deeper reductions, but it does not erase the reality that less Colorado River water will be available.
While state leaders negotiate larger agreements, Arizona communities are also looking at local conservation tools. ABC15 reported that Gilbert leaders are considering a $250,000 plan to expand a grass removal rebate program as the town faces growing pressure on its Colorado River supply. The proposal would include a federal WaterSMART grant from the Bureau of Reclamation and a local match, helping businesses and organizations replace grass with more drought-tolerant landscaping. These local actions show how Colorado River shortages are moving from the policy level into everyday community planning. Cities and towns are not only watching negotiations between states; they are also preparing their own conservation programs, infrastructure changes and water-saving measures. Grass removal programs, municipal cutback planning and long-term supply reviews are becoming part of how Arizona communities prepare for a future with less river water.
The larger challenge is that the Colorado River is still producing less water than the region has historically planned to use. JFleck at Inkstain discussed the need for flexible conservation pools, which are tools that could help protect the system without creating additional political, legal or hydrological risk. The article points to the post-2026 planning process and argues that conservation pools could provide system protection during extremely dry years, especially as runoff and reservoir conditions become more difficult to predict.
Together, these reports show that the Lower Basin proposal is an important step, but not a final answer. Arizona, California and Nevada are offering major cuts to help stabilize Lake Mead and Lake Powell, while local conservation and new management tools may help buy time. But the long-term future of the Colorado River still depends on a broader agreement between all seven Basin states, Mexico, tribes, cities, agriculture and federal agencies. The proposal may reduce immediate risk, but the Basin still faces the same hard truth: there is less water in the river system, and every water user will be affected by how future rules are written.
What does this mean for CRIT?
The Lower Basin proposal is another reminder that the future of the Colorado River is being shaped in real time. Arizona, California and Nevada are working to protect their own water supplies while also trying to keep Lake Mead and Lake Powell from falling to more dangerous levels. The proposal may help buy time, but it does not solve the deeper issue: there is still not enough water in the system to meet every demand placed on it. As cities prepare for cuts, conservation programs expand and new management tools are discussed, CRIT’s role as a sovereign Tribal Nation with senior water rights must remain visible and respected. This moment also shows why the Tribe’s Water Code, Water Resiliency Act and Personhood Resolution matter. They are not just internal actions; they are part of CRIT’s larger effort to protect the river, strengthen its voice in Basin-wide decisions and ensure that Tribal water rights are not treated as an afterthought while states negotiate the river’s future.
Sources
AMWUA
https://www.amwua.org/blog/lower-basin-plan-may-buy-time-against-worsening-hydrology
KOLD 13 Tucson
https://www.kold.com/2026/05/05/arizona-joins-lower-basin-states-new-colorado-river-proposal/
Utah Public Radio
https://www.upr.org/environment/2026-05-04/colorado-river-lower-basin-water-deal
JFleck at Inkstain
https://www.inkstain.net/2026/05/the-utility-of-operationally-neutral-and-flexible-conservation-pools-in-the-colorado-river-basin/