- California districts propose conserving 440,000 acre-feet of water each year.
- The state projects its lowest Colorado River use since 1949 in 2025.
- California outlines conditions for sharing water cuts among all basin states.
- Conservation programs are boosting Lake Mead levels through 2026.
Thursday, December 18, 2025 — Source New Mexico reports that California’s largest water districts presented a proposed framework for managing the Colorado River after 2026, committing to conserve about 440,000 acre-feet of water annually, enough to serve roughly 1.5 million households. The proposal comes after the seven basin states missed a federal deadline to submit a joint preliminary plan to replace the operating guidelines, which expire at the end of 2026. California, which holds the largest allocation and some of the most senior water rights on the river, reported significant recent reductions in use, projecting total Colorado River diversions of 3.76 million acre-feet in 2025, the lowest level since 1949. State officials said conservation since 2023 has already saved about 1.2 million acre-feet, putting California on track to meet or exceed its commitment to leave 1.6 million acre-feet in Lake Mead by 2026. The framework supports hydrology-based releases from Lake Powell, shared mandatory reductions during dry years, interstate water exchanges, expanded storage, and phased long-term management, while emphasizing that California’s willingness to set aside legal positions depends on equitable contributions from all basin states and Mexico.
The following article is republished from Source New Mexico
under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
California, the biggest water user in the basin, pitches Colorado River framework
by Jeniffer Solis, Source New Mexico
December 17, 2025
California’s biggest water districts presented their own framework Tuesday for how to share the Colorado River’s dwindling water supply, including a commitment to conserve 440,000 acre-feet of water per year – enough to meet the needs of 1.5 million households annually.
Last month, the seven western states that rely on the Colorado River missed a federally-imposed deadline to submit a preliminary agreement for a plan to replace the river’s operating guidelines set to expire at the end of 2026.
Those negotiations continued Tuesday during the annual Colorado River Water Users Association’s conference in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace.
California’s water users receive the largest allocation of Colorado River water and have some of the most senior water rights on the river, granting them priority access, even during droughts. That means the state is a significant player in the future of the river.
“California has the biggest stake on the Colorado River,” said JB Hamby, Colorado River Board of California chairman and Colorado River commissioner for California.
“We have the greatest agricultural production in the basin, with the greatest population in the basin, serving half of those who depend on Colorado River water. We have some of the most protective rights as well,” he continued.
An influx of federal dollars has helped California make significant strides in water conservation over the last few years, said Hamby. California is projected to cap water use at 3.76 million acre-feet in 2025 – the lowest annual use since 1949.
If the projection holds, California will conserve more than 600,000 acre-feet of water by the end of the year.
“That’s more than three Nevada’s worth of water in the terms of their current use. That’s a tremendous effort,” Hamby said. “The reductions in use that we need to deal with a reduced river are possible if there’s the willingness to do so.”
Nevada, Arizona, and California previously committed to collectively reduce water use by at least 3 million acre-feet through the end of 2026, when the Colorado River’s current water management rules are set to expire. California water agencies took the largest water cuts, committing to conserve 1.6 million acre feet of water in Lake Mead by 2026.
Since 2023, California has conserved a total of 1.2 million acre-feet of system water, and is on track to meet and exceed its commitment to leave 1.6 million acre-feet in Lake Mead a year ahead of schedule.
California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot said those conservation efforts have given states more time to negotiate and stressed the need for a seven-state solution to avoid litigation or unilateral federal actions.
“We need to utilize this time to achieve a seven state agreement,” said Crowfoot. “The alternative is a pathway that we don’t control and that may very much harm the constituents that rely on water in California and across the states.”
“Our sleeves are rolled up. We’re not focused on making sound bites or proving points, but finding solutions,” Crowfoot continued.
The framework proposed by the Colorado River Board of California – which represents the states’ water districts and tribes – builds on priorities set by the Lower Basin states, Arizona, California, and Nevada.
California’s biggest water districts laid out several compromises they are willing to accept in order to reach a seven-state agreement, including releases from Lake Powell based on hydrology and changes to how water allocations are distributed in Lower Basin states during water shortages.
But California water users said their willingness to “set aside many of their legal positions” is based on whether “there are equitable and sufficient water contributions from every state in the Basin and the country of Mexico.”
California’s proposed outline also calls for all seven Colorado River states to share mandatory water cuts during dry years, a proposal that has received strong pushback from Upper Colorado River Basin states – Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
The California framework included priorities related to interstate exchanges, operational flexibility, and a long-term agreement carried out in phases.
California water managers said “interstate exchanges need to be part of any long-term solution to encourage interstate investments in new water supply projects that may not be economically viable for just one state or agency.”
California officials said they support the expansion of water storage in both Lake Mead and Upper Basin reservoirs to maintain operational flexibility for water users on the river and to encourage conservation.
The Colorado River Board of California proposal also seeks a long-term operating agreement with adaptive phases, which would allow more management flexibility when the river’s hydrology does not meet expectations.
Leaders from the Bureau of Reclamation – the federal agency charged with overseeing Colorado River negotiations – are expected to provide an update on the river’s operating guidelines at the conference Wednesday morning.
California water savings.
California’s Imperial Irrigation District – the largest water user on the Colorado River – also anticipates reaching its highest ever annual water conservation yield in 2025. Through various programs and partnerships the water district has reduced consumptive use by at least 22%.
By the end of 2026, the Imperial Irrigation District is expected to conserve over 800,000 acre-feet for Lake Mead, enough water to increase Lake Mead’s elevation by over 11 feet.
Those conservation savings, along with conservation efforts by Nevada and Arizona, could increase Lake Mead’s water level by about 50 feet.
Several other California water districts announced water conservation efforts that will contribute to the state’s annual water savings goals.
The Palo Verde Irrigation District established an $8 million Community Improvement Program in 2025 that will pay the farmers to temporarily leave their fields empty. The program will remove 26,000 acres – or 28% – of valley farmland-for three years starting in August 2023, which is expected to conserve 117,000 acre-feet of water annually.
The Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe has also conserved 13,000 acre-feet of water to bolster elevations in Lake Mead, and contributed additional water savings through its ongoing seasonal fallowing agreement with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Coachella Valley Water District was able to expand its Thermal Water Reclamation Plant through a $39 million Bureau of Reclamation grant, which will allow the agency to supplement Colorado River water with recycled water for agricultural irrigation and conserve 33,600 acre-feet of water from 2029 to 2059.
Coachella Valley Water District has also conserved about 35,000 acre-feet annually since 2023 by avoiding supplying its Thomas E. Levy Groundwater Replenishment Facility.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has also been awarded nearly $160 million in funding from the Bureau of Reclamation for three water conservation and water efficiency projects in exchange for the district adding up to 269,000 acre-feet of conserved water to Lake Mead by 2031.
This story was originally produced by Nevada Current, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Source New Mexico, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Goldberg for questions: info@sourcenm.com.
