The Department of the Interior Announces Plans for 2027-2028 Colorado River Operations and a 10-Year Framework

On August 21, 2026, the Department of the Interior released its Record of Decision (ROD) for Post-2026 operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead, its operational guidelines for 2027 and 2028 and the results of the August 2026 24-Month Study that determine Water Year 2027 operations based on the new guidelines.  This followed Interior's release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement on July 31, 2026.  The documents can be found here:
Record of Decision
Operating Guidelines
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The Final EIS is available on the project website at: http://www.usbr.gov/ColoradoRiverBasin/post2026/final-eis/