Colorado River’s Historic Decline Triggers Water Cuts and Legal Battles

Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, is now at less than 27 % of its capacity; the “bathtub ring” from the 2000 high-water mark rises 175 ft above the current surface. The first intake built in 1970 is no longer operable because the lake has dropped too far. During the 26-year megadrought that began in 2000, the Colorado River has lost about 20 % of its flow, and the combined storage of Lake Mead and Lake Powell is at its lowest level since before Lake Powell was filled in the 1960s. The winter of 2025-2026 produced a record-low snowpack in the Rockies, further reducing runoff.

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In Nevada, the Southern Nevada Water Authority invested $1.3 billion to build a new intake nearly 200 ft deeper and a low-lake-level pumping station, allowing the city to keep drawing water as levels fall. In Arizona, the Central Arizona Project delivers roughly 40 % of Phoenix’s water; federal cuts this summer will reduce that flow by about 50 % next year. Phoenix is constructing advanced reverse-osmosis and ultraviolet purification plants that will produce nearly 7 million gallons of recycled water per day when the first facility opens next year, part of a plan to build three such plants.

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The federal government has finalized a plan requiring Arizona, Nevada and California to cut water use by about 1.25 million acre-feet per year beginning in 2027, with deeper cuts possible later. Arizona, holding the most junior water rights, is expected to absorb the largest share. Nevada has filed a lawsuit against the federal government, Arizona is threatening legal action, and California argues that any long-term solution must involve all seven basin states. The dispute could ultimately reach the Supreme Court.

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Colby Pellegrino of the Southern Nevada Water Authority described the situation as “crisis-adjacent” and noted that the new intake reflects accurate climate projections. Kyle Roerink, senior adviser with the Great Basin Water Network, likened the dwindling reservoirs to a bank account that is running out of funds.

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• “If it’s not a crisis, it’s crisis-adjacent,” — Colby Pellegrino

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• “That’s what makes this so scary,” — Kyle Roerink, a senior adviser with the Great Basin Water Network

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• “Think of them as a bank account,” — Kyle Roerink, a senior adviser with the Great Basin Water Network

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• “This is the water that has enabled us to be able to settle the western United States and be able to settle here in central and southern Arizona,” — Max Wilson, the water resources management adviser for the City of Phoenix

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• “It’s one piece of the pie as we’re trying to figure out how to live with less Colorado River water. But it’s an important piece of the pie because it’s so reliable,” — Wilson. Possible

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• “We are going to be able to weather the storm but it’s going to be very expensive,” — Kyle Roerink, a senior adviser with the Great Basin Water Network

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