The Colorado River serves seven states and supports cities, farms, tribes, and ecosystems. Reuters reported on May 15, 2026, that the federal government proposed a 10-year plan that could cut current supplies to Arizona, California, and Nevada by up to 40%, or up to 3 million acre-feet per year. The older water-sharing plan is expiring while state negotiations remain stalled. The debate is how to divide shortage among senior water rights, fast-growing cities, agriculture, conservation, tribal rights, and long-term drought risk. The river cannot provide paper water that does not exist. The hard part is making cuts in a way that does not just punish the weakest community or wait until reservoirs crash.