Reclamation Releases Draft EIS with Colorado River Options
The Bureau of Reclamation has released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) examining five options for operating Colorado River reservoirs after 2026, when current operating agreements expire. A history of more than 25 years of drought, coupled with forecasts for continued dry conditions, have made planning for future operations that are acceptable to the river’s many water users especially challenging. The draft EIS outlines a broad set of potential management strategies but does not identify a preferred alternative, and stakeholders continue to work toward a collective agreement.
The strategies described in the EIS represent potential actions by the Department of the Interior to ensure that river system operations continue without interruption. The five alternatives reflect different operational approaches and their potential environmental impacts:
- No Action — an alternative that Reclamation must include
- Basic Coordination — an option that could be implemented in 2027 if no new agreements among Basin water users are adopted
- Enhanced Coordination — an option that protects critical infrastructure while benefitting key resources (such as environmental, hydropower, and recreation) through an approach to distributing storage between Lake Powell and Lake Mead
- Maximum Operational Flexibility — an option that helps stabilize system storage, incentivize proactive water conservation, and extend the benefits of conservation and operational flexibility to a wide range of resources
- Supply Driven — an option to operate Glen Canyon Dam at Lake Powell based solely on historical natural flow. Lower Basin deliveries would be determined based on Lake Mead elevation.
Readers can find additional details about the draft EIS alternatives on Reclamation’s website. The EIS will be published in the Federal Register on January 16, 2026, which begins a 45-day comment period that will end on March 2, 2026.