With this important federal milestone, now is the time for the Colorado River Basin States to come to an agreement on the future of the Colorado River.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In early January, the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement outlining post-2026 operations for the Colorado River. The Draft EIS includes a range of alternative approaches that will shape future water management decisions with major implications for fish, wildlife, hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation across the Basin. 

The Draft EIS announcement comes at a time of greater uncertainty regarding the Colorado River’s trajectory as Basin states and federal partners continue working to define a long-term management framework that provides stability for water users while safeguarding the Colorado River for current and future generations. 

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership has long been engaged in Colorado River Basin issues and works to advance durable, science-based solutions that sustain fish and wildlife, as well as the hunting and fishing opportunities that depend on healthy rivers. 

“We appreciate the work by the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation to put forward a Draft EIS that clearly acknowledges the vulnerability of the Colorado River system and the implications for fish, wildlife, and the hunting and fishing opportunities that depend on a healthy river,” said Alex Funk, TRCP’s director of water resources. “The Draft EIS represents an important step in moving the Basin toward a more transparent, science-based, and collaborative discussion about long-term risk and responsibility and it is now on the Basin states to reach an agreement that brings much needed water security to the Basin .” 

As reflected in the Draft EIS, a durable post-2026 framework will depend on greater clarity and predictability around future risk, along with the ability to utilize flexible tools that will allow water to be conserved and stored in ways that could provide a range of benefits, including for fish and wildlife that depend on the Colorado River.  

“Long-term success will also hinge on how effectively the framework integrates values, including how management decisions can best support native fisheries, wildlife habitat, and a robust outdoor recreation economy across the Basin,” continued Funk. 

Restoring balance to the Colorado River system and providing long-term reliability will require moving beyond short-term adjustments and incremental measures. The Draft EIS represents an important step by acknowledging system vulnerability and evaluating a range of operational alternatives, but it is not the endpoint. It will be critical that the Bureau of Reclamation, Basin States, and other stakeholders are given the ability to translate these concepts into a comprehensive, implementable framework and to pair future work with sustained investment in conservation, infrastructure modernization, watershed health, and water-reliability initiatives that support communities, economies, and fish and wildlife across the West.