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State of Wyoming, along with the other Upper Division States, submits alternative on future operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

Wyoming remains committed to reaching agreement with the other Colorado River Basin States in the face of a declining water supply.

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CHEYENNE, Wyoming?Today the State of Wyoming, along with the States of Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, submitted an alternative on the future operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). The current rules which control the operation of those reservoirs expire in 2026 and must be replaced.

Since 2000, the Colorado River Basin has been facing historic drought. The likelihood of continued low-runoff conditions continues to increase which will further reduce water supply across the region. The proposed reservoir operations submitted by Wyoming and the other states are designed to help provide water supply certainty and sustainability in the face of a drying and uncertain future.?

?Our Alternative focuses on building storage in Lake Powell to help provide a sustainable water supply into the drying future, and avoid the constant crisis of recent years,? said Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart, Governor Gordon?s Colorado River Commissioner. ?It?s a response to the lessons we?ve learned, and acknowledges the uncertain future we face.?

Wyoming is a party to the Colorado River Compact along with six other states. Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah are called the Upper Division States, while Arizona, California, and Nevada are called the Lower Division States. The Compact apportions the right to use water within the Colorado River Basin among the seven states. Because Lake Powell and Lake Mead operations have a bearing on Wyoming?s rights and obligations under the Compact, Wyoming has been actively involved with developing reservoir operating rules in the past and for the future. ?

For the past nine months, all the Basin States have worked together in an effort to develop a seven-state consensus concerning reservoir operations. However, due to the complex nature of the issues involved and the short amount of time available to meet Reclamation?s initial deadline, the seven states have not yet reached agreement on a consensus alternative. Even so, a consensus alternative remains the goal as development of those operating rules continue. ?Although our proposal can stand on its own, it was also designed to promote the development of a seven-state consensus alternative which is a goal we all still seek to achieve,? said Gebhart. The Lower Division States are expected to submit their own alternative.

In addition to submitting an alternative on future reservoir operations, Wyoming and the other Upper Division States are also pursuing separate but complementary activities. Those include potential releases and recovery of storage at the Colorado River Storage Project Act (CRSPA) Initial Unit reservoirs?such as Flaming Gorge Reservoir in southwest Wyoming?and voluntary water conservation programs. Both activities are intended to help protect the ability of Lake Powell to make releases and to provide drought mitigation and resiliency.

The alterative submitted by Wyoming and the other Upper Division States, as well as additional information describing the alternative, can be found here [UDS Alternative and Docs].

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