California Warns Federal Government: Proposed Colorado River Plans May Violate Century-Old Water Compact

California water officials issued a formal warning to the federal government Monday, asserting that current draft plans for managing the Colorado River after 2026 lack a sound legal basis and unfairly shift the burden of drought onto Lower Basin states.

In a detailed comment letter submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, JB Hamby, California’s Colorado River Commissioner, argued that the government’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) fails to analyze whether its proposed “shortage” scenarios actually comply with the 1922 Colorado River Compact—the foundational “Law of the River.”