Nevada Sues Trump Administration Over Colorado River Water Cuts

Nevada is challenging the Trump administration in federal court over new Colorado River water restrictions that the state says unfairly place the burden on Lower Basin states.

The lawsuit was filed Monday by the state of Nevada, the Colorado River Commission of Nevada and the Southern Nevada Water Authority. It challenges a federal plan requiring significant water-use reductions for Arizona, California and Nevada over the next two years.

The Colorado River supplies water to roughly 40 million people across the Southwest and supports agriculture, cities and hydroelectric power. But decades of drought, rising temperatures and continued demand have pushed the river's major reservoirs, including Lake Mead and Lake Powell, to extremely low levels.

Under the federal plan, the three Lower Basin states will face a combined reduction of about 21% in their Colorado River water supplies beginning in 2027. The plan does not impose mandatory reductions on the Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming.

Nevada officials argue that approach is unfair and could have serious consequences for Southern Nevada.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said Southern Nevada could lose more than 70% of its already limited Colorado River allocation under the federal framework. State officials argue that all seven states relying on the river should share responsibility for addressing the shortage.

John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority and Nevada's lead Colorado River negotiator, said the state has already made major conservation efforts but believes there are limits to how much additional water can be saved.

Nevada's lawsuit argues that the federal government did not adequately consider the economic consequences of the proposed cuts and failed to follow required environmental and administrative procedures. The state is asking a federal court to set aside the new management plan.

Nevada is the first state to formally challenge the new federal Colorado River plan in court. Arizona officials have also warned that they could pursue legal action, while California and other stakeholders continue to evaluate the implications of the federal decision.

The lawsuit comes after years of negotiations among the seven Colorado River Basin states failed to produce an agreement for managing the river after existing rules expire.

Water experts say the legal fight could take years, potentially adding another layer of uncertainty to an already complicated effort to manage the river's shrinking supply.

For Southern California, the dispute is significant because California is also among the states facing reductions under the federal plan. The Colorado River is an important source of water for communities and agricultural users across the state.

As the legal battle begins, officials across the Southwest continue to face the larger challenge of determining how to divide a water supply that is becoming increasingly difficult to stretch.

The Colorado River's future will affect communities, farms and businesses throughout the Southwest, making the outcome of Nevada's lawsuit a closely watched issue in California and across the region.