Sunday, September 20, 2026 —If Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico voluntarily conserve Colorado River water, should they get to keep credit for the water they save?
That’s the question leading this week’s Western Water Highlights.
We also look at a real-world example of conserved Colorado River water retaining value. The Colorado River Indian Tribes and Central Arizona Water Conservation District have reached an agreement involving 9,009 acre-feet remaining in Lake Mead from earlier Tribal conservation efforts.
Also in this week’s report: Peoria’s $104 million investment in long-term water-storage credits; a Colorado River Basin business coalition seeking at least $2 billion in federal water funding; new research examining an unexpected greenhouse-gas benefit from irrigated agriculture; the Tenth Circuit’s decision involving the expanded Gross Reservoir; the aftermath of Pueblo’s 4.2-million-gallon wastewater spill; California’s effort to address nitrate contamination beneath dairies; a $251 million federal water-reuse loan; and the latest drought conditions across the Colorado River Basin.
