Colorado River Basin
Coverage of Colorado River Basin in the Nexus archive.
- Lake Mead is barreling faster than ever toward ‘system crash,’ top experts say
The Colorado River Basin faces a complete 'system crash' with minimal hope that a wet winter will prevent a worst-case scenario, according to experts in a new academic paper. Lake Mead is depleting rapidly, signaling an accelerating crisis.
- Feds Will Soon Impose New Framework on Colorado River if States Can’t Agree How to Manage It
The Bureau of Reclamation announced it will impose a 10-year operating framework for managing the Colorado River Basin by summer 2023 if the seven states relying on the river fail to agree on a plan. The decision follows deadlocked negotiations and the river’s worst water year on record.
- Arizona signs onto deal to tap California desalination, ease pressure on shrinking Lake Mead
Arizona, Nevada, and California have signed an agreement to explore an interstate pilot program using California's Carlsbad Desalination Plant to ease pressure on Lake Mead. The program would allow water transfers through existing infrastructure and credits, potentially stabilizing the reservoir during shortages without physically transporting desalinated water.