76 Colorado River groups seek $2 billion

A coalition of 76 organizations from across the Colorado River Basin asked Congress on May 13 for at least $2 billion in new federal funding to address what it called an escalating drought crisis. The signers included agricultural producers, water providers, conservation groups, Tribal interests, local communities, businesses and hydropower and infrastructure stakeholders, according to the letter sent to congressional committee leaders and members of the Colorado River delegation. The request comes as federal water managers warn of worsening runoff forecasts and mounting pressure on Lake Powell and other key reservoirs. The groups said the money should support near-term drought mitigation and reservoir operations this summer while extending help beyond September 2026. ### Who signed the request, and where did it go? The May 13 letter was addressed to House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman, Ranking Member Jared Huffman, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Mike Lee and Ranking Member Martin Heinrich, with members of the Colorado River delegation copied. The signers said they represented interests from Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Tribal Nations. (tu.org) The Nature Conservancy, which posted the announcement, said the coalition brought together cities, businesses, farmers, utilities and conservationists. The letter described the group as a cross-section of basin interests seeking “targeted federal investment” to protect water, food and energy security. ### What are the groups asking Congress to fund? (tu.org) The $2 billion request is for a near-term drought mitigation program that would build on the Bureau of Reclamation’s existing investments and provide additional resources to stabilize the system. The letter said the money should support conservation, efficiency, targeted augmentation of new water supplies, and engineered and natural infrastructure across the basin. (nature.org) September 2026 is a key date in the request. The coalition said any near-term program would need resources and authorities that extend beyond that month to maintain conservation and augmentation efforts and to improve system reliability under worsening drought and wildfire conditions. ### How bad is the 2026 water year? (tu.org) Water Year 2026 is “one of the most challenging hydrologic years in more than a century of recordkeeping,” the coalition wrote. The letter cited exceptionally low snowpack, weak river runoff and continued stress on a depleted reservoir system. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service said on May 8 that Colorado’s 2026 water year had been marked by record warmth, early snowmelt and snowpack near the lowest values in the SNOTEL record from January through May 1. (tu.org) The agency said May-through-July runoff forecasts across Colorado were 24% of median at the 50% exceedance forecast, and 48 of 86 forecast points ranked either lowest or second lowest in their period of record. The Bureau of Reclamation said on Feb. 13 that Lake Powell inflow for the water year was then estimated at 52% of average. Reclamation said the February 24-Month Study projected, for the first time on a most-probable basis, that Lake Powell could fall to 3,490 feet — minimum power pool — in December 2026. ### Why is Lake Powell at the center of this push? (nrcs.usda.gov) Lake Powell is approaching a threshold that puts hydropower generation at risk, The Nature Conservancy said in its May 13 statement. The organization said poor snowpack, low runoff and depleted storage threatened drinking water supplies, agricultural production, hydropower, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation economies and infrastructure serving more than 35 million Americans. (usbr.gov) Flaming Gorge Reservoir is already being used to support Powell. The Bureau of Reclamation said additional water — between 660,000 acre-feet and 1 million acre-feet — is being delivered from Flaming Gorge through April 2027 to help keep Lake Powell above critical elevations. Reclamation said those actions are part of the 2019 Drought Response Operations Agreement. (nature.org) ### How does this fit into the broader Colorado River fight? The Congressional Research Service said in a November 2025 report that Colorado River use and evaporation typically exceed the basin’s flows, and that drought dating to 2000 has strained supplies. The report said most current agreements to conserve water before 2026 are temporary and that Reclamation has been leading work on post-2026 operating changes. (usbr.gov) The coalition’s request does not replace those negotiations. The May 13 letter asks for money to manage immediate shortages and operational risks while basin states, Tribes and federal agencies continue work on longer-term rules. May 11 through May 14 marked the latest step in reservoir operations, with Reclamation lowering Flaming Gorge releases to a daily average of 1,100 cubic feet per second after earlier elevated flows. (congress.gov) The agency said the release plan remains subject to changing river conditions and weather forecasts as it manages the system through summer 2026. (usbr.gov) (tu.org)