The seven U.S. states that draw water from the Colorado River basin have submitted rival proposals to determine how to maintain water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
The Upper Basin states of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah submitted their proposal to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Tuesday.
The Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada submitted a competing proposal on Wednesday.
The competing proposals renewed tensions between the states in the Colorado River Compact, the century-old compact for sharing the river that serves more than 40 million people.
"Although there is agreement among the Basin States regarding the need to provide for operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead under a wide range of potential future system conditions due to a changing climate, at this point the seven Basin States have been unable to agree on a consensus alternative," the Lower Basin states wrote in a letter to the bureau.
The Colorado River has been in crisis due to decades of drought in the West, exacerbated by climate change. The current rules and guidelines for managing the river expire at the end of 2026, but they have been tasked with reaching a long-term agreement.
The Bureau of Reclamation will take the proposals and consider them before finalizing a plan to be released in early 2026, The Associated Press reported.
Under the proposal by the Lower Basin states, the water level at Lake Mead would no longer determine the extent of water cuts as it does now.
Arizona, California and Nevada also want reductions to be split evenly between the Lower and Upper Basin states once a threshold is hit.
They are proposing that when the system drops below 58 percent of capacity, the Lower Basin will shoulder 1.5 million acre-feet in cuts. If the system falls to 38 percent of capacity, additional cuts should be evenly split between the Upper and Lower Basin states, their proposal said.
"This is not a problem that is caused by one sector, by one state, by one basin. It is a basin-wide problem, and it requires a basin-wide solution," John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, told reporters on Wednesday, according to the AP.
The proposal from the Upper Basin states suggested addressing water shortages based on the combined capacity of Lake Mead and Lake Powell. The proposal says it provides operations based on actual conditions rather than "unreliable forecasts" to ensure both reservoirs are operated sustainably.
The proposal "focuses on building storage in Lake Powell to help provide a sustainable water supply into the drying future, and avoid the constant crisis of recent years," Brandon Gebhart, Wyoming's representative on the Upper Colorado River Commission said in a statement.
"It's a response to the lessons we've learned, and acknowledges the uncertain future we face. Although our proposal can stand on its own, it was also designed to promote the development of a seven-state consensus alternative which is a goal we all still seek to achieve."
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