The Colorado River's future is uncertain after funds from the Biden administration were apparently frozen. These funds were promised to Arizona water users to leave water in Lake Mead and continued negotiations which was part of the $4 billion in Western drought relief funding that originally came from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

Currently, the river is protected through 2026 and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation signed deals to forgo deliveries and save 1.5 million acre-feet of water over three years through 2025 with some extension. On the first day that President Trump took office, he signed an order that says "all agencies shall immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022."

 

The funding was offered for conservation programs that pay farmers, municipalities, and Tribes for their efforts rather than leaving water in reservoirs. Currently, there is a 2026 deadline for programs like one that funds California farmers boosting supplies in reservoirs. Further, the next funding cycle begins on Aug. 1 when funding becomes uncertain.

"I urge you to immediately lift the short-sighted funding freeze on the Lower Colorado System Conservation and Efficiency Program funded under the Inflation Reduction Act," Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Arizona, wrote to President Donald Trump "and fulfill the system conservation agreements the federal government has signed with nearly two dozen entities to conserve water and protect critical levels in Lake Mead."

The act stated that the money would be available through Sept. 30, 2026 for grants, contracts, and assistance.

Rep. Stanton is joined by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) in his opposition of the conclusion of funding for the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

The state of Arizona had given up nearly 600,000 acre-feet a year due to declines that have left the reservoir 35% full.

As seen in LASN magazine, March 2025.