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Low Point for Colorado River Storage

Annie Carlozzi — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:45:07 +0000

Low Point for Colorado River Storage Annie Carlozzi Wed, 07/15/2026 - 07:45

Jack Schmidt , Anne Castle , John Fleck , Eric Kuhn , Kathryn Sorensen , Katherine Tara

July 12, 2026 marked the date that the combined storage in Lake Mead and Lake Powell reached a new all time low. Stored water reserves in the two reservoirs are now less than they were before Lake Powell was constructed. The last time the combined total live storage in these two workhorse reservoirs in the Colorado River Basin was this small was May 23, 1957, almost 70 years ago, when water was stored only in Lake Mead. Our ability to offset consumptive use that exceeds natural supply with reservoir releases is not infinite and is speedily diminishing. Water use must be reduced.

A Significant Moment in the Colorado River Water Supply Crisis

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Thirst for Data: State Responses to Data Center Water Use

Annie Carlozzi — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 23:11:18 +0000

Thirst for Data: State Responses to Data Center Water Use Annie Carlozzi Thu, 07/09/2026 - 17:11

Daniel Anderson

Thirst for Data: State Responses to Data Center Water Use is a new Getches-Wilkinson Center report on Artificial Intelligence, water, and legal reform. AI is fueling a data center development boom—but what does it mean for our water future? Data centers consume large amounts of water, are increasingly located in the arid West, and are projected to grow exponentially in the coming years. With the federal government standing aside, states are struggling to respond swiftly and effectively to their citizens' concerns. This new paper examines emerging state legislation across the country, identifying four major water policy approaches: reporting, conservation, incentives, and prior appropriation requirements. Whether you're a policymaker, researcher, industry leader, or concerned citizen, this analysis offers a timely snapshot at one of the fastest-evolving intersections of technology and water policy.

Report authors: Daniel Anderson, J.D., Getches-Wilkinson Water Law Fellow and Sydney Stellato, Colorado Law Student, Conscience Bay Company Western Water Policy Fellow

Read Thirst for Data: State Responses to Data Center Water Use

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Aug 21: The Colorado River's Uncertain Water Future Explained with Brad Udall

Annie Carlozzi — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:57:10 +0000

Aug 21: The Colorado River's Uncertain Water Future Explained with Brad Udall Annie Carlozzi Thu, 07/09/2026 - 09:57

Brad Udall presents an engaging look at the Colorado River in an era of climate change. Discover the challenges facing the river and the choices that will shape its future.

This event is co-hosted by Colorado Mountain Club Boulder Group and Getches-Wilkinson Center.

Friday, August 21, 2026
6:00-7:30 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom

In person only. Zoom will not be offered for this event.

Free and Open to the public

Register Here

Brad Udall

Bradley H. Udall is a Senior Water and Climate Research Scientist / Scholar at Colorado State University’s Colorado Water Center. His expertise includes hydrology and related policy issues of the American West, with a focus on the Colorado River. Brad was a co-author of the 2009 and 2018 National Climate Assessments and a contributing author to the 2014 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 5^th Assessment. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on the causes of the 21^st century declining Colorado River flows and on the ongoing aridification of the Western United States. Brad has testified in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives on the impacts of climate change on water resources and provided input to multiple National Academy of Science panels. Brad was formerly the Director of the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and Environment at the University of Colorado Law School and Director of the University of Colorado - NOAA Western Water Assessment. In 2024 he was awarded the David Getches Flowing Waters award from the Colorado Water Trust. Brad has an engineering degree from Stanford and an MBA from Colorado State University.

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Sept 10: GWC and AILP Community Social

Annie Carlozzi — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:13:59 +0000

Sept 10: GWC and AILP Community Social Annie Carlozzi Wed, 07/08/2026 - 12:13

Community Social for Students, Faculty, Staff and Alumni

Thursday, September 10th, 2026 5-7pm in Schaden Commons.

Please join the Getches-Wilkinson Center and the American Indian Law Program for an informal happy hour and community-building event. Learn more about Colorado Law School’s nationally ranked environmental and American Indian law programs and meet fellow students, experienced faculty and alumni. Everyone is welcome! 1L students are encouraged to attend.

And you’ll enjoy free food and drink!

Co-hosted by ELS, NALSA, and ELJ.

The event is free to attend. Registration is required - Register here

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The Colorado River Water Supply Crisis in a Few Graphs: Part 1

Annie Carlozzi — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:25:18 +0000

The Colorado River Water Supply Crisis in a Few Graphs: Part 1 Annie Carlozzi Thu, 06/18/2026 - 11:25

Jack Schmidt , Anne Castle , Eric Kuhn , Kathryn Sorensen , Katherine Tara

We almost always focus on just Lake Powell and Lake Mead, but there are 46 reservoirs in the Colorado River Basin. This new paper by Jack Schmidt and the usual suspects looks at the state and trends of total Basin storage and the “Ratchet Effect” when we consistently use more water than Nature supplies.

The Colorado River Water Supply Crisis in a Few Graphs: Part 1

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June 4 & 5: 2026 Conference on the Colorado River

Annie Carlozzi — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:10:39 +0000

June 4 & 5: 2026 Conference on the Colorado River Annie Carlozzi Thu, 06/04/2026 - 09:10

The Colorado River:

Searching for Solutions in the Face of Uncertainty

The Colorado River is facing unprecedented change and uncertainty. Average annual flows continue to decline, and negotiations to craft post-2026 guidelines to manage the river have repeatedly bogged down over disagreements about delivery obligations, sharing shortages and mandatory conservation. While some clarity may emerge in the coming months, the ability to sustain many existing municipal and agricultural water users is already compromised. Meanwhile, there is growing recognition that a durable resolution must also address the water rights of sovereign Tribal nations and better integrate environmental values into river management. All sovereigns, stakeholders, and sectors must work together now more than ever to find solutions for short-term needs and long-term goals.

The Getches-Wilkinson Center and Water & Tribes Initiative will co-convene the 2026 Conference on the Colorado River at the Wolf Law Building in Boulder, CO.

Thursday, June 4th and Friday, June 5th
Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom

Thursday, June 4th
7:30-8am: Registration Opens and Light Breakfast
8am-5pm: Colorado River Conference
5-6:30pm: Reception for Registered Attendees

Friday, June 5th
7:30-8am: Registration Opens and Light Breakfast
8am-3pm: Colorado River Conference

Breakfast, Snack and Lunch provided daily
Free parking onsite. Parking details will be sent out the week of the conference.

We hope you join us for what will be sure to be an engaging 2-day conference bringing together thought leaders from across the Colorado Basin.

Conference Agenda

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3

Public Event: Screening of The American Southwest.

THURSDAY, JUNE 4

Session 1: Climate & Hydrology: Expectations for an Ever-Shrinking Pie. Growing water shortages on the Colorado River system derive from a mismatch between supplies and human demands. While water managers can proactively manage demands, natural inflows to the basin are not easily manipulated, placing a premium on understanding trends and forecasts.

Session 2: Sustaining a Living River. Respecting and protecting the ecological lifeline of the Southwest is a formidable challenge given that existing laws and policies are largely designed to divert water out of the river and consumptively use it off-stream. This panel will highlight some emerging efforts to recover and sustain the Colorado as a living river.

Session 3: Living with Less on Farms and Ranches. Irrigated agriculture is the largest water use in the basin, and is where most of the current and projected curtailments are aimed. Although there have been some notable innovations already, more will be required to balance the basin’s water budget. This panel will highlight lessons learned from farms and ranches where adapting to less water is already underway.

Session 4. Designing Water Conservation Programs for the Future. Large-scale water conservation is essential to future management of the Colorado River, however, these efforts raise a host of legal, political and administrative challenges. This panel will reflect on lessons learned in prior conservation efforts, and identify suggestions for the design of more comprehensive and effective future programs.

FRIDAY, JUNE 5

Session 5: Status of the Post-2026 Guidelines. The process of developing the post-2026 operating guidelines remains an ongoing challenge. The basin’s four sets of sovereigns -- including federal and state governments, Tribal nations, and Mexico – along with multiple stakeholders have discussed a range of options to share water shortages, conserve water, and coordinate operations of Lake Powell/Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Mead/Hoover Dam. This series of panels will provide an update on the process of developing post-2026 guidelines, review the options under consideration, and reflect on the potential alternatives to a negotiated solution.

Session 6: Learning from the Process: How do we Do Better in the Future? As substantive negotiations over reservoir operations and conservation programs have languished, it’s worthwhile to think about what this says about the processes and traditions being relied upon to identify the needed solutions. This panel will examine recent efforts to improve inclusivity, and proposals for making problem-solving more proactive, transparent, and holistic.

Confirmed Speakers Bios and Headshots Can be Found HERE

Chairwoman Amelia Flores, Colorado River Indian Tribes
Amy Moyer, Colorado River Water Conservation District
Anne Castle, Getches-Wilkinson Center
Becky Mitchell, Upper Colorado River Commission
Brad Udall, Colorado State University
Carlos de la Parra, Centro Luken
Celene Hawkins, The Nature Conservancy
Chris Winter, Getches-Wilkinson Center
Daniel Anderson, Getches-Wilkinson Center
Daryl Vigil, Water & Tribes Initiative
David DeJong, Gila River Indian Community
Doug Kenney, Getches-Wilkinson Center
James Eklund, Taft Law
Jason Robison, University of Wyoming College of Law
Jay Weiner, Quechan Tribe Attorney
John Berggren, Western Resource Advocates
John Bezdek, CRIT Attorney
John Entsminger, Colorado River Commissioner for Nevada
Kathryn Sorensen, Kyl Center for Water Policy
Katrina Grantz, Bureau of Reclamation
Mark Squillace, Colorado Law School
Roger Fragua, Flower Hill Institute
Samantha Barncastle, Family Farm Alliance
Chairman Selwyn Whiteskunk, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
Scott Cameron, Bureau of Reclamation
Scott Campbell, The Freshwater Trust
Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Gila River Indian Community
Tina Shields, Imperial Irrigation District
Zak Podmore, Author

Colorado CLE credits have been approved: 11 general credits and 1.20 EDI credits

Photographs
Barb Colombo of 11:11 Productions Photography has provided us with wonderful images of the Conference. We’ve added them to a Flickr album for easy viewing here.

Recordings
You can find the video recording of the conference here.

2026 Conference on the Colorado River Introductions Day 1

Session 1: Climate & Hydrology: Expectations for an Ever-Shrinking Pie

Session 2: Sustaining a Living River

Session 3: Living with Less on Farms and Ranches

Session 4: Designing Water Conservation Programs for the Future

Session 5: Status of the Post-2026 Guidelines: The Evolving Federal Role

2026 Conference on the Colorado River Introductions Day 2

Session 5: Status of the Post-2026 Guidelines, continued Day 2

Session 5: Status of the Post-2026 Guidelines Tribal Perspectives

Session 6: Learning from the Process: How do we Do Better in the Future?

Thank You to 2026 Conference Partners:

Water & Tribes Iniative Partners

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June 3: The American Southwest Film Screening

Annie Carlozzi — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:37:48 +0000

June 3: The American Southwest Film Screening Annie Carlozzi Wed, 06/03/2026 - 10:37

The American Southwest Film Screening
Wednesday, June 3rd
6:00-7:30pm: Film Screening followed by Q&A with Filmmaker Len Necefer

On the eve of the 2026 Conference on the Colorado River, GWC, American Indian Law Program, Center of the American West and Center for Humanities & the Arts are pleased to invite the public to join us for an inspiring film and an engaging conversation with Filmmaker Len Necefer.

This is a free, in person event. Advanced registration is required.

REGISTER HERE

The American Southwest is a wild and unforgettable journey down the mighty Colorado River. Narrated by Quannah Chasinghorse, the film beautifully showcases the region’s abundant wildlife, confronts the ecological impacts of dams and river depletion, and boldly advocates for increased water and wildlife conservation. This Fin and Fur Films production travels through legendary landscapes from the perspective of some of the Southwest’s most charming characters—such as wetland-building beavers, bugling bull elk, and desert-adapted rattlesnakes.

Created in association with Natives Outdoors, The American Southwest highlights the region’s deep cultural history and the urgent need to manage the river more sustainably so that both wildlife and society can thrive.

Dr. Len Necefer, Ph.D. — Producer
Len Necefer is an Indigenous (Diné) scholar, filmmaker, and founder of NativesOutdoors, a media and advocacy collective focused on outdoor recreation, environmental justice, and Indigenous rights. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and has worked with the U.S. Department of Energy and the University of Arizona. Raised between urban and reservation life, Len offers a distinctive perspective on environmental storytelling—rooted in scientific rigor, cultural knowledge, and lived experience. His work centers on building more inclusive narratives around public lands, water, and the future of conservation.

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UPDATE: Colorado River Basin Storage Continues Slide Toward System Crash

Annie Carlozzi — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:39:02 +0000

UPDATE: Colorado River Basin Storage Continues Slide Toward System Crash Annie Carlozzi Mon, 06/01/2026 - 10:39

Anne Castle , Jack Schmidt , Eric Kuhn , Kathryn Sorensen , Katherine Tara

Stored water reserves in the Colorado River system continue to decline. The mismatch between natural supply and overall Basin water use is having the inevitable effect on Basin-wide storage. This paper analyzes the impact on storage in the system’s major reservoirs under two scenarios – a wet year and a dry one. Another dry year brings the system dangerously close to crashing (i.e., run-of-the-river operations), and a wet year provides only a temporary reprieve. Without significant reductions in use throughout the Basin, water users will no longer derive any benefit from the extensive and expensively-constructed Colorado River reservoir system, intended to bring reliable water supplies and associated prosperity to the southwestern United States.

Authors: Anne Castle, Jack Schmidt, Eric Kuhn, Kathryn Sorensen, and Katherine Tara

UPDATE: Colorado River Basin Storage Continues Slide Toward System Crash

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Wind River Water Forum 2026

Annie Carlozzi — Thu, 14 May 2026 18:28:05 +0000

Wind River Water Forum 2026 Annie Carlozzi Thu, 05/14/2026 - 12:28

Daniel Anderson

On Friday, May 1st and Saturday, May 2nd, the Wind River Water Resource Control Board (WRWRCB), Gina Guy Center for Land and Water Law, and Getches-Wilkinson Center hosted the 2nd Annual Wind River Water Forum. Gathering at the Frank B. Wise Building in Fort Washakie, this year’s forum focused on water management issues and solutions led by the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho of Wind River Reservation. Attendees engaged throughout the forum, and both in-person and remote attendance was roughly four times that of last year’s inaugural Wind River Water Forum. One message rang clear from this year’s Wind River Water Forum: dedicated interest in responsible and thoughtful water management at Wind River Reservation is growing – starting first from the local community but also expanding to a diverse national audience.

Wind River Water Resource Control Board Panel

By 9AM on May 1st, there was standing room only as community members from Wind River Reservation, local non-profits, university researchers and students, government officials, and more packed in to hear from the Wind River Water Resource Control Board. Moderated by John Washakie, Former Deputy Tribal Water Engineer, and featuring Lokilo St. Clair, Tribal Water Engineer, and members of the WRWRCB, this panel discussed the key history and pressing issues for Tribal-led water management at Wind River Reservation. Topics during the panel, and the Q&A that followed, ranged from how the Tribal Water Engineer’s office strives to maintain and improve Tribal irrigation projects to efforts to collaborate with other Missouri River Valley Basin Tribal Nations on water management.

Community Organizations Panel

After moving to a larger conference room during the break, the second panel of the day featured several community-based organizations working on water-related projects at Wind River Reservation. Moderated by Dr. Tarissa Spoonhunter, Assistant Professor at the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and Director of the High Plains American Indian Resource Institute, the panel included Jason Baldes from the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative, Colleen Friday from the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Big Wind Carpenter from Wyoming Outdoor Council, Leslie Shakespeare from the Wind River Development Fund, and Darwin St. Clair III. The panelists shared how water intersects with their work, including the cultural connections between water and buffalo recovery, the importance of water investments to support Tribal governance, and ongoing threats to water quality at Wind River Reservation. The throughline from these presentations? The community understands that water is vital to the health, culture, and economy of Wind River Reservation – and they are working hard to protect the many values that flow from water.

Following a community lunch, the conference shifted to consider emergent proposals to address long-standing water management issues facing many Tribal Nations. Moderated by Daniel Anderson, Getches-Wilkinson Center Water Law Fellow, the panel featured presentations by Jason Robison, Carl M. Williams Professor of Law and Responsibility and Co-Director of the Gina Guy Center at the University of Wyoming College of Law, Alyson White Eagle, Tribal Water Institute Fellow at the Native American Rights Fund, and Bethany Aragon, Student Fellow at the Gina Guy Center and J.D./M.A. student at University of Wyoming. These presentations examined the interstices between the Federal Trust Responsibility, Tribal sovereignty, access to clean water, structural exclusion of Tribal Nations from interstate water compacts, and tools within the Clean Water Act available to Tribal Nations. Dialogue on legal considerations followed the presentations, including the panelists’ thoughts about ongoing global efforts led by indigenous peoples to recognize their relationships with – and the rights of – rivers.

Finally, the day ended with a keynote address from Representative Ivan Posey, Wyoming House District 33, who also serves as the Co-Chairman of the Select Committee on Tribal Relations. Representative Posey expressed his thoughts on the importance of balancing water use at the Wind River Reservation, as well as the need to continue advancing education about water rights and water management concerns within Wind River Reservation and beyond.

Washakie Reservoir

On the following morning, May 2^nd, attendees of the Wind River Water Forum toured key water infrastructure across the Wind River Reservation. This included stops at Washakie Reservoir, Bull Lake, the proposed site of Steamboat Reservoir, and Diversion Dam. Led by Howard Brown, WRWRCB member, and Gary Collins, Former Tribal Water Engineer, the group considered not only the infrastructural challenges, but also the potential opportunities to improve Tribal benefits from water infrastructure. Discussion topics also included protection of Tribal cultural resources and how to more closely align water management decisions with enduring Tribal water relationships at Wind River Reservation.

Tour group at the Lenore Bridge over the Wind River

Planning for the 3rd Annual Wind River Water Forum is currently underway. Feel free to reach out to Daniel Anderson (daniel.anderson-1@colorado.edu) with any thoughts or questions regarding next year’s water forum.

To access recordings of panel discussions from May 1st, please click here.

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Reflections on Steve Bloch's Visit to Colorado Law

Annie Carlozzi — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:18:50 +0000

Reflections on Steve Bloch's Visit to Colorado Law Annie Carlozzi Thu, 04/23/2026 - 11:18

Andrea Shipton and Obie Johnson

On April 1st, thanks to the generous support of the Wyss Foundation, we had the opportunity to host Steve Bloch, legal director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (“SUWA”). SUWA is a non-profit organization that fights to defend Utah’s stunning redrock wilderness for the benefit of all Americans. Steve has worked at SUWA since 1999.

The inspiration to ask Steve to speak at Colorado Law came from the Advanced Natural Resources Seminar on the Colorado Plateau, which we both enrolled in during the spring of our 2L year. During that spring break, we spent ten days exploring the unique landscapes of Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona, under the guidance of Professors Chris Winter and Mark Squillace. We met with numerous stakeholders, including tribal representatives, employees of federal land management agencies, and Neal Clark—Wildlands Director for SUWA, based in the Moab office. That trip really opened our eyes to all of the incredible work being done by public lands advocates in some of the most unique landscapes in our country. It certainly solidified our desire to use our legal degrees to fight for the lands, wildlife, and people of not only the Colorado Plateau, but the rest of the nation and even world as well.

During his visit, Steve spoke to us about the substance of his work at SUWA and his advice for students interested in non-profit environmental litigation. He spoke candidly yet optimistically about some of the most severe threats facing the Colorado Plateau right now—from proposals to sell off Utah’s public lands, to attacks on national monuments via the obscure Congressional Review Act, to stagnant grazing and other resource extraction fees set by the federal government. He also gave us a peek into his day-to-day life at SUWA and shared helpful advice for the many students in the room aspiring to work for an organization like SUWA after graduation. Having read the Supreme Court decision Norton v. SUWA at least three or four times during our law school careers, it was great to hear his perspective on a lawsuit he worked so closely on and a decision that has been so key in guiding administrative law jurisprudence ever since.

We are so pleased with how Steve Bloch’s visit went and would like to thank the Wyss Foundation, the Getches Wilkison Center, and Steve himself for making it all possible. With so much uncertainty right now surrounding federal public lands law, it was so reassuring to hear inspiring words from one of our public land’s greatest advocates.

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