THE UNTIMELY COMMENTS FROM THE SEVEN STATES (the due date was March 2, 2026)
PURPOSE: To create new operating guidelines for the Colorado River Basin
- May 1, 2026 - Lower Basin Proposal (7 pages)
- Upper Basin Proposal: nothing submitted as of July 1, 2026
EMERGENCY PROVISIONS
PUBLIC PROPOSALS
ACADEMIA
______________________________________________
PUBLIC CONCERNS
Data Centers
Rare Earth Metals
Small Modular Reactors (nuclear reactors)
___________________________________________________
DRAFT EIS PUBLIC COMMENT LETTERS SUBMITTTED TIMELY
Comments we recieved or were published on the worldwide web
SUPPLEMENTAL COMMENTS AFTER MARCH 2, 2026
_____________________________________________
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
Post-2026 Guidelines for operation of Hoover and Glen Canyon Dams (P26)
Released on Friday January 9, 2026
Virtual Meetings
Public comments due on March 2, 2026
The Draft EIS will be published in the Federal Register on January 16, 2026, initiating a 45-day comment period that will end on March 2, 2026. Comments may be submitted via the following methods:
- Email to: crbpost2026@usbr.gov
- Telephone: (602) 609-6739
- Mail to: Bureau of Reclamation, Attn: BCOO-1000, P.O. Box 61470, Boulder City, NV 89006
Reclamation will hold two virtual public meetings to provide information on the Draft EIS:
- Virtual meeting — Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Mountain time
- Virtual meeting — Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Mountain time
To register for a virtual public meeting, please go to the project website. The virtual public meetings will be available in Spanish.
For further information, contact the project team by email at crbpost2026@usbr.gov or call the project telephone line at (602) 609-6739.
THE ALTERNATIVES:
- NO Action: required by NEPA, signifies a return to annual decision-making absent objective criteria, a mode of operation purposefully avoided since the late 1990s.
- Basic Coordination: designed to provide an environmental compliance option for a set of operations that Reclamation could implement in Water Year (WY) 2027 if no new agreements among relevant entities in the Basin are developed.
- Enhanced Coordination: designed to achieve protection of critical infrastructure and benefit key resources. Developed in close coordination with the National Park Service, the Fish & Wildlife Service, reflects concepts developed with Basin Tribes and principles put forth by hydropower interests (Western Area Power Administration and Colorado River Energy Distributors Association).
- Maximum Operational Flexibility: informed by a proposal submitted by a consortium of conservation organizations, includes operational concepts that promote maximum flexibility in water use.
- Supply-Driven: includes Lake Powell operations based solely on recent hydrologic conditions.
- Continued Current Strategies Comparative Baseline: not an alternative but represents a continuation of current operations for comparative analysis.
Additional Information
- For additional information about how Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU) was applied in the Post-2026 Draft EIS, refer to Chapter 3, Section 2.6 and Appendix E, “DMDU Overview and Approach”.
NEWS
- July 25, 2026 - Colorado River's two big lakes drop to lowest water levels on record. By Tony Davis fo rAZ Daily Star.
- July 22, 2026 - The Colorado River's 2 biggest reservoirs just hit a new record low. By Brooke Larsen for SL Tribue.
- July 21, 2026 - A five-alarm fire: Western reservoirs that supply California fall to record low levels. By Ian James for LA Times.
- June 29, 2026 - Native American Tribes Came Together To Secure Their Rights To Colorado River Water 4 States Are Stalling The Deal. By Alex Hager For KJZZ and Mark Olalde for ProPublica.
- June 25, 2026 - Utah officials warn of totally unprecedented Colorado River water shortages as towns run dry. By Booke Larsen for SL Tribune.
- June 24, 2026 - The Colorado River's largest reservoirs are heading toward a system crash experts warn. By Brooke Larson for SL Tribune.
- June 14, 2026 - Gross Dam's $600 million expansion is largely done will Denver Water ever get to fill its expanded Reservoir? By Elise Schmelzer for The Denver Post.
- June 13, 2026 - Senator Lee wants consequences for states suing over Colorado River. By Brooke Larson for Salt Lake Tribune.
- June 5, 2026 - The Colorado Rivers largest reservoirs are heading toward a system crash experts warn. By Brooke Larson For SL Tribune.
- May 20, 2026 - Lake Powell's Glen Canyon Dam is failing and Utahns need to stop pretending its worth saving. By Zak Podmore for Salt Lake Weekly.
- May 16, 2026 - Mitchell delivers strong message (propaganda?) on Colorado River. By Joe Stone for Heart of the Rockies Radio.
- May 4, 2026 - AZ, CA & NV announce plan to save Colorado River water. By Tony Davis for the Arizona Daily Star.
- April 29, 2026 - Glen Canyon Dam Faces Its Existential Moment. By Brett Walton For Circle Of Blue.
- March 29, 2026 - As water lifeline evaporates Arizona faces a cultural change over water use. By Tony Davis for The Arizona Daily Star.
- December 19 2025 - Environmental groups & tribal leader decry Colorado River stalemate. By Tony Davis for AZ Daily Star.
- January 9, 2026 - Feds release plan for Colorado River if States don't strike a deal. By Ben Winslow for Fox 13, SL City.
- January 9, 2026 - With Upper/Lower Basin States still snagged, Feds give them more time to craft Colorado River plan. By Jeniffer Solis for Nevada Current.
- February 6, 2026 - These four states are in denial over a looming water crisis. Opinion by Sammy Roth for NY Times.
- February 14, 2026 - Posturing does'nt fill the taps; open frustration as Colorado River deadline fails to produce 7 state agreement. Greg Hass for 8 News Now Las Vegas.
- June 4, 2025 - Decades after Glen Canyon Dam, Colorado River reclaims its path. By Ash Sanders for Atmos.
DOCUMENTS
Volume One - Main Body
Volume Two - Supporting Appendices
Volume Three - Technical Appendices
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
US SENATE BILL TO STUDY BYPASS AT GLEN CANYON DAM
Discussion:
Talk about this article...
All content © 2026 On The Colorado