Colorado River plan could cut Nevada's allocation by up to 71 percent

Lawsuit alleges Interior plan violates seven-state water compact

A plan by the Trump administration to reduce water use from the Colorado River could cut Nevada’s allocation by up to 71 percent, according to Nevada officials. About 90 percent of the water used by Las Vegas and surrounding areas comes from the river, a level of dependence Nevada officials said left southern Nevada exposed to the plan’s consequences. Nevada Attorney General Michelle Briggs filed suit Monday against the administration over the cuts, arguing the Interior Department’s drought management strategy violates a multi-state compact governing the river.

The complaint alleges the cuts would cause “devastating environmental, socioeconomic, and health and human safety impacts to southern Nevada and its citizens.” Briggs argued the federal government misinterpreted, misapplied and violated the Law of the River, the compact that regulates water distribution from the Colorado River to seven states across the Southwestern United States. The complaint also cited what it described as a lack of transparency in the federal process. “Not surprisingly given the lack of transparency, the Final [Environmental Impact Statement] contains many instances in which the approach taken in the [Record of Decision] and preferred alternative violate the Law of the River,” the lawsuit read.

The Interior Department’s plan would also direct cuts to water deliveries in Arizona and California, which also draw from the Colorado River. In a Monday statement, Gov. Joe Lombardo said: “This isn’t about political posturing. 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.”

The Colorado River Basin is experiencing historically low runoff and reservoir levels after decades of drought spurred on by climate change.