If any of the Colorado River management options were used to manage this year’s sub-par snowpack, Arizona, California and Nevada would be forced to slash 17% to 43% of their legal share. Coloradans would be focused on voluntary conservation. Colorado River officials are debating six options for how to manage the overstressed river after 2026 with the goal of reaching a seven-state agreement by May. Under this year’s water conditions, all of the proposed plans would call for mandatory cuts in the three Lower Basin states with reductions ranging from 1.3 million to 3.2 million acre-feet. The basin’s legal share of the river is 7.5 million acre-feet, although estimates say its actual use is higher. Under most of the different management options, Colorado and its sister states in the Upper Basin would be asked to voluntarily conserve up to 500,000 acre-feet of water.

Other Colorado River Basin news:

• ICT: Trump directive creates chaos on the Colorado River
• Phys.org: Major dust-up for water in the Colorado River
• The Aspen Times (Colo.): Funding uncertainty, river droughts, and 120-year-old infrastructure: (Sen. John) Hickenlooper hears Western Slope water woes in his visit to Garfield County
• The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colo.): Colorado BLM director: New plans, redirected staff will help with energy focus
• The Land Desk: Blog: Can “toilet to tap” save the Colorado River?