Nevada challenges federal Colorado River water cut plan in court
Nevada filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration's Colorado River management plan, which imposes steep water cuts on lower-basin states from 2027.
Nevada has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its newly finalized Colorado River management plan, arguing that the mandated water reductions would devastate the state and breach multiple federal laws.
The legal challenge, lodged in federal court in Las Vegas, targets the Department of the Interior, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and its commissioner, Aubrey Bettencourt. It is the first lawsuit to contest the plan.
The Interior Department finalized the 10-year river management strategy on Friday. It imposes a 21% cut in water allocations for California, Nevada, and Arizona — the three lower-basin states — starting in 2027. Those reductions could nearly double after 2028, a prospect Arizona and Nevada have warned would inflict severe economic damage.
By contrast, the four upper-basin states — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming — face no mandatory cuts under the plan. They have argued that they already endure steep supply losses from the region's prolonged drought. The lower-basin states, however, insist that all seven states sharing the river must share the burden of cutbacks.
The lawsuit alleges that the administration violated administrative law, environmental law, and the framework of treaties, agreements, and court rulings known as the Law of the River. It claims the government failed to consider reasonable alternatives, assess foreseeable economic impacts, respond fully to public comments, or adequately analyze mitigation measures.
"Consequently, decisionmakers and stakeholders are left to guess at how federal defendants interpret and apply the Law of the River, which all agree governs the proposed action," the lawsuit states.
The river supplies water to roughly one in ten Americans and generates power for about 6 million people. The plan is subject to review every two years. The seven states failed to reach a consensus on water sharing after more than three years of negotiations to replace the current agreement, which expires this year.
The Interior Department declined to comment, and the Bureau of Reclamation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.