Feds announce start of public process to reshape key rules on Colorado River water use by 2027

By KEN RITTER
Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal water managers say they’ve begun a public process to shape rules to be enacted in 2027 to continue providing hydropower, drinking water and irrigation to farms, cities and tribes in seven U.S. states and Mexico. The Interior Department announced Thursday that virtual meetings start next month about renewing guidelines that are set to expire in 2026. Those include agreements for states to share cutbacks in water drawn from a river diminished by drought and climate change. The river is a crucial source of power and water for more than 40 million people in cities that have grown since dams were built. But agriculture has first dibs and uses the most water.