Arizona’s lifeline to the Colorado River is drying up. Its designers warned us decades ago
October 29, 2026
The Colorado River is at a pivotal crossroads. People are taking more water out of the river than it can provide, and the policymakers that manage water use cannot agree on how to rein in demand.
That has left the river — and the nearly 40 million people who use it — hanging in the balance. Across seven Western states, major cities, tribes, and powerful economies are stuck in a moment defined by low reservoirs, high-stakes legal tension and an uncertain future.
This fall, a new federal plan for cutting back water use has triggered legal action from Nevada, Arizona and the massive canal system that brings Colorado River water to the Phoenix area.