The Colorado River Cannot Wait While We Debate (or Litigate) Its Future — Solutions Are Needed Now

Today, in response to the news that the seven Colorado River states have not met the Bureau of Reclamation’s deadline to reach agreement on a post-2026 operating framework for the river, conservation and sportsmen groups American Rivers, National Audubon Society, Environmental Defense Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Trout Unlimited, and Western Resource Advocates released the following joint statement:

Colorado River (Nov. 12, 2025) – After more than two years of negotiation, we are deeply disappointed that the Basin states have not been able to reach consensus yet on a framework to manage the Colorado River beyond 2026. We understand the extraordinary complexity of this challenge and the difficult tradeoffs the states are working hard to navigate — but the River isn’t going to wait for process or for politics. Drought, intensified by increasingly extreme conditions, is reshaping the Basin, and the window to secure the River’s future and move beyond crisis-driven policymaking is closing fast.

Across the Colorado River Basin, communities, Tribes, farmers, ranchers, water managers, and conservation groups are anxiously awaiting greater clarity as they plan, conserve, and adjust to a hotter, drier reality. Without a clear operating framework, the Basin remains exposed to escalating risks — from declining storage in Lakes Powell and Mead to deepening uncertainty about how the system will respond to hydrologic extremes. Every month without alignment makes it harder to stabilize the River and protect the people, economies, and ecosystems that depend on it.

As the Colorado River continues to change faster than our policies, the challenge before us grows more urgent with every passing season. The states’ efforts to find common ground remain important, but the ongoing impasse must not stand in the way of the Bureau of Reclamation arriving at robust and effective operational guidelines by October 2026.

Our communities, businesses, and landscapes will continue to struggle from one dry year to the next unless we get ahead of the problem by:

• Grounding management decisions in the best available science and the realities of how much water the river can actually provide.
• Expanding conservation across the Basin and developing flexible storage tools to protect river health and meet critical needs in dry years.
• Advancing existing funding commitments and programs that support conservation, watershed restoration, and community resilience.
• Investing in infrastructure modernization, conservation incentives, and restoration of critical watersheds, fish, and wildlife habitat.
• Ensuring Tribes have meaningful opportunities to shape decisions and access their fair share of water.
• Maintaining collaboration with Mexico and protecting vital ecosystems in the Colorado River Delta.
• Adopting policies that prioritize the health of the river as the foundation of any lasting water security in the Basin.

Continued federal leadership will be essential. The Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of the Interior must lead with urgency and resolve — advancing the NEPA process, evaluating the full range of operational alternatives, embedding environmental stewardship into everyday operations, and promoting comprehensive strategies that enhance water reliability while safeguarding the Basin’s ecological and cultural foundations, the very backbone for how this river will continue to thrive. As we all know, litigation or delay will not protect the River; only partnership, science-based planning, and decisive action can.

Ultimately, the challenges confronting the Colorado River must be met with solutions on the ground. Local agencies, water users, Tribes, and stakeholders are already considering flexible tools, innovative conservation strategies, and watershed reliability initiatives that reflect local realities. These efforts are where real progress will be made — and they need sustained investment and support to deliver lasting solutions for the Basin’s future.

The Colorado River is the foundation of life across the West. Despite yesterday’s announced setback, we encourage continued focus on collaboration and problem-solving to build water reliability and protect the River that connects us all. But there is no time to waste – we must act now.