The state of Nevada has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s new plan for dealing with water shortages along the Colorado River, marking a major escalation in tensions among the seven basin states.
Nevada Files Federal Lawsuit Over Colorado River Cuts
District Court of Nevada, the federal operating plan unlawfully authorizes reductions that could slash the state’s annual river allocation by up to 71 percent, amounting to a 213,556 acre-feet reduction. The legal challenge was brought jointly by the state of Nevada, the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
Lower Basin Impacts and Disputed Allocations
The lawsuit follows a final plan handed down by the Trump administration requiring the Lower Basin states of California, Nevada, and Arizona to reduce water use by 1.25 million acre-feet over the next two years.
Attorneys representing Nevada argue that the federal cuts would slash the state’s share of water far past its actual use, which totaled 198,000 acre-feet last year. According to the court filing, the federal defendants failed to properly consider an alternative proposal put forward by the Lower Basin states and neglected to adequately analyze potential environmental, socioeconomic, and public health impacts on southern Nevada.
“This shortfall will cause devastating environmental, socioeconomic, and health and human safety impacts to southern Nevada and its citizens,” attorneys wrote in the complaint, adding that federal officials failed to evaluate those consequences in a meaningful way.
Unprecedented Mandates and Basin-Wide Divisions
The action marks the first time in history that the federal government has mandated water cuts on Colorado River states without a prior consensus agreement among the basin states.
While the Lower Basin states face mandatory shortages, no such reductions are required for the Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming.
“There are four states upstream of us that are facing zero mandatory reductions,” John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said in an interview. “That is not going to balance the system. This is a system-wide problem. It requires system-wide solutions.”
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo emphasized the severity of the challenge in a statement released Monday. “This isn’t about political posturing,” Lombardo said. “This is a matter of survival for a community that represents about two-thirds of our state’s citizens and the lion’s share of its economy.”
Injunction Sought as Lake Mead Projections Worsen
Nevada is asking the court to declare the decision unlawful until federal officials comply with cited environmental and administrative laws.
Federal forecasters project that Lake Mead water levels could drop near or below 1,000 feet in elevation by the summer of 2028, falling at least 35 feet below current levels.
Neither the Department of the Interior nor the Bureau of Reclamation immediately responded to emailed requests for comment following the initial filing.
