SACRAMENTO — With the clock ticking toward a year-end deadline to rewrite the rules for the Colorado River, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) announced it will host a public forum next week to discuss the state’s strategy for securing a sustainable water future.
The webinar, titled “What’s Happening on the Colorado River? Securing Water Sustainability across Seven States” is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 28, from noon to 1 p.m. PT. The event comes at a critical juncture: federal officials recently released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) outlining potential management paths that could see California’s water allocations slashed significantly.
“The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the West, supporting 40 million people and the farming communities that feed our nation,” said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, who will host the discussion. “As climate change continues to dry the basin, we must find a shared, durable solution that protects our communities and our environment.”
A basin at a breaking point
The discussion arrives as negotiators from the seven Basin States—California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—scramble to reach a consensus before the current 20-year management agreement expires in December.
The challenge is a math problem made worse by a warming planet. The river was originally over-allocated decades ago based on unusually wet years. Today, a 25-year “megadrought” has left the system’s primary reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, at roughly one-third of their capacity.
California’s stake
California has a massive stake in the outcome. The state draws 4.4 million acre-feet of water from the river annually, fueling the Southern California economy and the Imperial Valley’s agricultural powerhouse.
In late 2025, California proposed a framework to conserve 440,000 acre-feet per year, but tension remains high. Some federal alternatives released this month suggest even deeper cuts—up to 3.9 million acre-feet annually—to prevent the system from reaching “Deadpool” levels where water can no longer flow through dams.
Event details
The Secretary Speaker Series event will feature Crowfoot and a panel of experts to be announced next week. They will unpack the complexities of the negotiations and what the different federal proposals mean for California residents and farmers.
The public is encouraged to join the session to learn about the prospects for a seven-state agreement and how the state plans to protect its water rights while adapting to a more arid future.
The discussion includes California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot, Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth, Department of Water Resources State Climatologist Michael Anderson, California’s Colorado River Board Chair JB Hamby, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California General Manager Shivaji Deshmukh, and Coachella Valley Water District Assistant General Manager Robert Cheng.