CSG West Colorado River Forum – Navigating Unprecedented Scarcity

The 2026 CSG West Colorado River Forum (CRF) convened state legislators, water officials, utility directors, scientific researchers and other key stakeholders from across the seven basin states, as well as Hawaii. Convened in San Diego, California, from September 9–11, the forum’s central urgency was defined by the imminent September 30, 2026, expiration of the 2007 Interim Operating Guidelines. For nearly two decades, these guidelines have governed reservoir operations at Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which store roughly 80% of the Colorado River’s reserved water. However, decades of dry hydrology, coupled with warming temperatures that decouple snowpack from streamflow, have drawn total system storage down to record low levels.

California Assemblymember Diane Papan and New Mexico Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, the respective co-chairs of the CRF, framed the multi-day discussions around a single core challenge: while federal guidelines establish operational sideboards, states and local water managers hold the direct responsibility for executing water conservation, infrastructure investments, and legal adaptations necessary to survive permanent aridification. Over the course of three days, participants evaluated the stark operational divide between Upper and Lower Basins, examined high-intensity urban water production facilities during off-site policy tours, explored physics-informed AI modeling, and reviewed innovative public and private financing structures.

📌 CORE HYDROLOGIC PARAMETERS

Expiration Deadline: Operating rules for Lake Powell and Lake Mead expire on September 30, 2026.

Hydrologic Imbalance: Consumptive use across the Colorado River Basin currently exceeds natural annual flows by approximately 2.6 million acre-feet (MAF) per year. Between 2020 and 2024, average annual consumptive use totaled 13.1 MAF (Lower Basin: 6.5 MAF, Upper Basin: 3.8 MAF, Mexico: 1.4 MAF, System Evaporation: 1.4 MAF), whereas natural flows averaged only 10.5 MAF per year.

Basin streamflows have declined 20% this century and 35% over the last 5–6 years.

Decoupled Runoff: In 2026, Upper Basin snowpack reached 86% of normal but generated only 37% of average runoff.

The Post-2026 Framework & Multi-State Negotiations

Chuck Cullom, Executive Director of the Upper Colorado River Commission, discusses Upper Basin water management and hydrologic challenges during the Colorado River Forum.

Jessica Neuwerth, Executive Director of the Colorado River Board of California, and Chuck Cullom, Executive Director of the Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC), provided a status update of the post-2026 negotiations. Director Neuwerth detailed how California permanently reduced its consumption by 800,000 acre-feet per year starting in 2003 following the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA). In recent multi-state negotiations, Lower Basin states proposed a baseline reduction of 1.5 MAF per year (1.25 MAF U.S. / 0.25 MAF Mexico). However, negotiations stalled over how to allocate reductions required beyond 1.5 MAF during severe drought conditions.

In response to the impasse, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released a 10-year Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) framework establishing general sideboards (shortages between 0–3 MAF; Lake Powell releases between 5–12 MAF), accompanied by specific 2-year interim operating guidelines for 2027–2028. These interim guidelines mandate 1.25 MAF/year in Lower Basin reductions, expand Intentionally Created Surplus (ICS) delivery limits capped at 800 thousand acre-feet (KAF), and established three elevation-based tiers in Lake Powell. Notably, the rules do not mandate upper basin cuts, prompting Nevada to file litigation due to disproportionate impacts on junior Central Arizona Project and Nevada rights. Crucially, in 2026 Lake Powell’s release dropped to 6.0 MAF, causing the 10-year rolling average past Lee Ferry to fall below the 82.3 MAF Colorado Compact threshold for the first time in history.

Chuck Cullom presented the Upper Basin perspective, explaining that water users operate under real-time hydrologic risk rather than guaranteed deliveries. In the Upper Basin, state engineers strictly administer water rights based on prior appropriation.

Examining over 83,000 individual agricultural fields annually from 1991 to 2024, Executive Director Cullom revealed that Upper Basin farmers and ranchers suffer an average annual hydrologic shortage of 35.3% due to physical water unavailability. Furthermore, under the Drought Response Operating Agreement (DROA), the Upper Basin released 450 KAF from Flaming Gorge Reservoir in 2026 (out of a 660 KAF–1.0 MAF plan) to protect Glen Canyon Dam’s minimum power pool elevation (3,490 ft). With Blue Mesa and Navajo reservoirs completely depleted of available storage, Flaming Gorge represents the Upper Basin’s last active storage bank. Executive Director Cullom detailed the System Conservation Pilot Program (SCPP), which delivered 31,356 AF across 64 projects in WY2023, 64,558 AF across 112 projects in WY2024, and 22,290 AF to Lake Powell in WY2025.

📌 POST-2026 NEGOTIATIONS & LEGAL CLIFF

Lower Basin Cut Commitment: Lower Basin proposed a 1.5 MAF/yr baseline cut (1.25 MAF US / 0.25 MAF Mexico).

2-Year Guidelines (’27–’28): Reclamation’s rules enforce 1.25 MAF/yr Lower Basin cuts but include no mandatory Upper Basin reductions.

Active Litigation: Nevada filed suit to block the 2-year guidelines due to 70% cuts on junior allocations.

Operational Cliff: The river system is 18 months away from potential run-of-river operations if low inflows persist.

Water Transfers, Exchanges, and Market Realities

The forum’s second panel contrasted the operational mechanics of water transfers across the Lower and Upper Basins. Tina Shields, Water Department Manager at Imperial Irrigation District (IID), detailed IID’s footprint as the largest irrigation district in the nation, encompassing 1,062,216 gross acres supported by the 82-mile All-American Canal, 1,670 miles of main canals, 6,000 delivery gates, and 1,457 miles of surface drains. IID holds an annual entitlement capped at 3.1 MAF, including a 2.6 MAF Present Perfected Right with a 1901 priority date. The district underpins a $2.6 billion agricultural economy ($5 billion+ total annual contribution to the local economy; 14,500+ direct jobs), led by cattle ($546M), alfalfa hay ($239.8M), broccoli ($134.8M), and leaf lettuce ($131.4M).

Legislators and water leaders from across the Colorado River Basin gather in San Diego at the 2026 Colorado River Forum.

Over the past 25 years, IID transformed its entitlement into major transfer partnerships, including the 1988 Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) Agreement (105,000 AFY), All-American Canal Lining (67,700 AFY), SDCWA Transfer (200,000 AFY), and CVWD Agreement (103,000 AFY). In 2025, IID achieved a record annual conservation total of 726,000 AF (23% of its total entitlement), comprising 223,113 AF in system efficiency, 208,467 AF in on-farm efficiency, 222,384 AF in summer deficit irrigation, and 72,036 AF in temporary land fallowing.

Between 2023 and 2026, IID’s System Conservation Implementation Agreement (SCIA) will contribute over 900,000 AF to Lake Mead, adding 12 feet of elevation. Since 2003, IID has conserved over 9.167 MAF. However, Shields highlighted the severe environmental consequence at the Salton Sea: reduced ag drainage has lowered sea elevations by 14 feet, exposing 43,190 acres of playa in 2025 (heading toward 74,000 acres by 2047 with a 4-mile shoreline recession), where 20% of exposed playa drives 80% of toxic dust emissions.

Dan Denham, General Manager of the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA), reviewed San Diego’s $3 billion supply diversification since the 1990’s drought, which reduced per capita water use by nearly 50% (from 235 gallons per person daily in 1990 down to 119 GPCD in 2025). To manage rate pressures from hardened demand and flat population growth, SDCWA executed a landmark 2025 litigation settlement with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) establishing fixed delivery pricing through 2047. SDCWA also secured long-term intrastate exchange deals generating $50 million per year in new revenue, including transfers to Western Municipal Water District (20k AFY + 30k AF prepaid), Eastern Municipal Water District (12.5k AFY + 30k AF prepaid), and Burbank Water & Power (5k AFY). Externally, SDCWA signed a landmark interstate memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Southern Nevada Water Authority, Arizona Department of Water Resources, Central Arizona Project, and Salt River Project to evaluate virtually transferring Carlsbad desalinated water to Arizona and Nevada.

Kyle Whitaker, Director of Engineering at Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (Northern Water), demonstrated why Lower Basin transfer models cannot be applied in Colorado’s South Platte Basin. Northern Water’s Colorado-Big Thompson (CBT) Project imports 310,000 AFY through Continental Divide tunnels via 12 reservoirs, 35 miles of tunnels, 95 miles of canals, 7 hydro plants, and 250+ miles of reuse systems. Because downstream senior water rights (dating back to the 1860’s) rely entirely on upstream agricultural return flows, any upstream irrigation efficiency project (such as lining canals or installing drip) deprives downstream users of historical return flows and triggers immediate litigation. Consequently, growing cities cannot purchase ‘saved’ water and instead buy agricultural land to dry it up, shifting CBT project deliveries from 95% ag / 5% M&I in 1960 to 70% M&I / 30% ag in 2024, drying up 300,000 farmland acres.

📌 WATER TRANSFERS & REGIONAL CONSTRAINTS

IID Conservation Record: Conserved 726,000 acre-feet in 2025; adding 12–13 ft to Lake Mead over 4 years via Inflation Reduction Act funding.

Salton Sea Environmental Tradeoff: Irrigation efficiency cuts drainage inflows, exposing up to 75,000 acres of toxic dust playa.

San Diego Water Exchanges: Released surplus Colorado River water to Riverside County & Burbank; virtual desal transfers to Arizona and Nevada.

Upper Basin Legal Constraint: Downstream return-flow dependencies legally block agricultural efficiency transfers, causing ‘buy and dry’.

Energy Integration: Hydropower, Renewables, and Grid Reliability

Tanya Trujillo, Senior Water Policy Advisor and Deputy State Engineer for New Mexico (former DOI Assistant Secretary for Water and Science), presented a comprehensive analysis of the water-energy nexus. Lower reservoir storage at Lake Powell and Lake Mead directly reduces head pressure through hydroelectric turbines, decreasing generation capacity and threatening regional electrical grid stability.

Federal hydropower generated at Glen Canyon and Hoover dams is marketed by Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) to 130 wholesale customers serving 5 million residents across seven states. In Colorado and New Mexico, federal hydropower provides approximately 20% of total electrical load for rural electric cooperatives and tribal communities. Furthermore, power sales generate essential revenue streams that fund federally mandated environmental programs, including the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, salinity control, and irrigation operation funds. Declining water levels eliminate these revenues, forcing the U.S. Congress or state legislatures to find replacement funding.

On the water production side, municipal water pumping, conveyance, and advanced treatment account for up to 40% of drinking water system operating costs. Trujillo reviewed New Mexico’s 50-Year Water Action Plan, which establishes a 12-point policy framework across conservation, new water supply development ($40M initial appropriation for brackish water treatment), and watershed protection. She urged state legislators to integrate energy utility regulators directly into state water planning initiatives.

Colorado legislators pause for a photo during the 2026 Colorado River Forum. From left: Senators Dylan Roberts and Cleave Simpson, Representatives Lesley Smith and Matt Soper, and House Speaker Julie McCluskie.

📌 WATER-ENERGY NEXUS & HYDROPOWER RISKS

Rural & Tribal Grid Reliance: Federal CRSP hydropower provides 20% of electrical power to rural co-ops and tribes in Colorado and New Mexico.

Environmental Funding Loss: Hydropower sales fund endangered fish recovery and salinity control; lower head eliminates revenues.

Infrastructure Risk: Operating Glen Canyon Dam below minimum power pool creates unstudied physical risks to internal dam penstocks.

Municipal Energy Intensity: Water treatment and pumping consume up to 40% of municipal water utility operating budgets.

Tribal Water Rights & Sovereignty

Jay Weiner, Of Counsel at Rosette LLP and Administrative Law Judge for Montana, provided a briefing on integrating tribal sovereignty into state-level planning. Weiner highlighted that 30 tribal nations hold paper entitlements or claims to 2.5–2.8 MAF (25% of the river’s average flow) under the Winters doctrine (Winters v. United States, 1908). Federal Indian reserved rights carry priority dates corresponding to reservation creation (or time immemorial for instream flows) and are not lost through non-use.

Mr. Weiner categorized the 30 basin tribes into four operational groups: (1) Pure Upper Basin Tribes (Ute Indian, Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Jicarilla Apache) holding upper basin settlement rights; (2) Navajo Nation, spanning both basins across Arizona, Utah and New Mexico with massive unquantified and settled claims; (3) Lower Basin On-River Tribes (Fort Yuma Quechan, Fort Mojave, CRIT, Chemehuevi, Cocopah) holding senior Supreme Court-decreed mainstem rights under Arizona v. California, where CRIT holds the largest and most senior entitlement in Arizona; and (4) Central Arizona CAP-Tied Tribes (Gila River Indian Community, Tohono O’odham), whose 2004 settlements swapped Gila River claims for junior Central Arizona Project (CAP) allocations, leaving them vulnerable to CAP shortages.

Mr. Weiner recommended the following specific state legislative strategies: (1) Appointing tribal leadership to state water boards (e.g., California’s appointment of the former Quechan Tribal President to the Colorado River Board); (2) Enacting intergovernmental statutory frameworks like Montana’s Tribal-State Cooperative Agreements Act with transparent audit provisions; (3) Structuring state grant programs so tribes can participate without encountering trust land dedication barriers; and (4) Lobbying Congressional delegations to clear 13 to 15 negotiated tribal settlements ($12 billion total) currently blocked in the House due to offset requirements.

📌 TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY & SETTLEMENT BOTTLENECKS

Tribal Water Magnitude: 30 basin tribes hold legal rights to 2.5–2.8 MAF (25% of average river flow).

Senior Mainstem Rights: Lower Basin on-river tribes (CRIT, Quechan, Fort Mojave) hold the most senior priority rights on the river.

State Board Inclusion: California appointed former Quechan President to Colorado River Board (first Native member in 90 yrs).

Congressional Settlement Stalls: 13–15 negotiated tribal settlements (~$12B) are stalled in Congress due to House offset rules.

Water Use and Conservation Strategies Across Basins

This panel brought together NGO, municipal, and state perspectives on conservation models. Jennifer Pitt, Colorado River Program Director for the National Audubon Society, announced the September 9, 2026, signing of Minute 334, a 2-year U.S. – Mexico shortage-sharing agreement. She highlighted a joint ask by over 70 organizations for a $2 billion federal investment in basin resilience to fund ag modernization, turf removal, dam safety (such as the 2024 Glen Canyon Transformer replacement), and voluntary compensated conservation. Director Pitt benchmarked existing federal programs, noting that Reclamation’s WaterSMART program has invested $3.35 billion across 2,300 projects (saving 1.7 MAF/year, leveraged with $8.85 billion in non-federal funding). She advocated establishing a permanent, dedicated federal basin fund similar to programs for the Great Lakes and Everglades.

Zane Marshall, Director of Water Resources for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), detailed Southern Nevada’s urban conservation model. Serving 2.4 million residents and 40 million visitors across 600 square miles via 2 treatment plants (900 MGD capacity), 253 miles of mainlines, 50 reservoirs (414 MG capacity), and 35 rate-of-flow control valves, SNWA relies on 100% indoor water recycling. All indoor wastewater is purified and returned to Lake Mead for return flow credits, expanding Nevada’s 300 KAF allocation by 75%. SNWA enforces strict mandates, including AB 356 (banning non-functional grass fed by Colorado River water by Dec 31, 2026, across medians, streetscapes, and office parks), AB 220 (banning grass in new developments), a 600 sq ft pool cap, and an evaporative cooling moratorium in new commercial builds. In 2025, Water Smart Landscapes participants planted 2,600 trees (1.1 million sq ft of mature canopy), alongside 1,330 trees planted in low-income neighborhoods via the ImpactNV Partnership. SNWA reduced per-capita water use by 58% and total river consumption by 40% (down to 198 KAF in 2025; targeting 86 GPCD) despite a 58% population increase.

Keith Burron of the Burron Firm in Wyoming emphasized that Upper Basin conservation requires both legal entitlement and physical wet water in the stream. In August 2026, the Wyoming State Engineer regulated 147,000 acres (113,000 acres pre-1922 rights). Mr. Burron discussed Wyoming’s 2026 Voluntary Water Conservation Act, which allows water right holders to voluntarily reduce consumptive use for compensation without risking abandonment (5-year limit for ag irrigation). He also highlighted Cheyenne’s 23% water reduction despite 22% population growth. During Q&A, Senator Ogden Driscoll (WY) urged downstream states and the federal government to co-fund Upper Basin cloud seeding research and evaluate raising Flaming Gorge Dam by 20 feet ($1B cost, adding 800k–1M acre-feet of storage with minimal evaporation).

📌 CONSERVATION INNOVATIONS & LEGISLATIVE TOOLS

Minute 334 Signed: U.S. & Mexico signed a 2-year equitable shortage-sharing agreement on September 9, 2026.

100% Indoor Water Recycling: SNWA treats all indoor wastewater and returns it to Lake Mead, boosting supply by 75%.

Strict Municipal Mandates: Nevada AB 356 bans non-functional turf by Dec 31, 2026; single-family pools capped at 600 sq ft.

Wyoming 2026 Conservation Act: Allows voluntary ag consumptive use cuts for compensation without risking water right abandonment.

Colorado River Forum attendees visit San Diego’s Pure Water Discovery Center to learn about advanced water purification and the city’s efforts to expand its local water supply.

Harnessing Data, AI, and Innovation

The panel on data, AI, and innovative finance brought together technical, state financing, and private capital experts to examine how advanced analytics and structured finance can accelerate water resilience across the Colorado River Basin. Dr. Daniel Feldman, Staff Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), framed the hydroclimatic challenge facing the Colorado River Basin. Citing long-term snowpack trends, Dr. Feldman illustrated widespread declines in April snow water equivalent across the Rocky Mountains. He reviewed the fundamental land-surface water balance equation:

Precipitation (P) = Evapotranspiration (ET) + Runoff (R) + Infiltration (I) + Δ Storage (S)

Dr. Feldman presented the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) $300M+ Genesis Mission, an initiative uniting DOE National Labs, industry, and academia to harness AI for energy and water predictability. Defining AI as ‘adaptive math applied to massive datasets, not magic,’ Dr. Feldman stressed that where physical laws and inputs are known, traditional physics models must be preserved. However, where processes are highly uncertain or computationally slow, AI enables rapid analysis, freeing researchers to focus on scientific discovery rather than raw data wrangling. He highlighted three LBNL AI initiatives: 1) ASPIRE (ARM-driven Simulation for Physical Insight Research Engine), providing near-real-time quantitative analysis of major storm events; 2) Upper Colorado Foundation Model, enabling joint surface/subsurface water resource estimation across disparate datasets; and 3) WISE (Water Intelligence System for Energy infrastructures), providing sub-seasonal to seasonal probabilistic risk assessments beyond the 2-week weather horizon using Earth system models.

Dr. Feldman also highlighted the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI), DOE’s $175M Energy-Water Innovation Hub headquartered at LBNL (comprising 124 research consortium members, 519 alliance members, and 53 industry partners). NAWI projects have demonstrated 98% water recovery from inland brackish water sources across California, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, while releasing breakthrough techno-economic assessment software (WaterTAP) to optimize treatment facility design.

Ben Alteneder, Assistant Director of External Affairs at the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA), presented Arizona’s three-pronged water strategy: protecting existing supplies, modernizing infrastructure, and acquiring new augmentation sources. Established around the principle ‘build the mechanism before picking the project,’ WIFA launched competitive solicitations in 2024 for long-term importation concepts. WIFA operates a staged de-risking process. Phases 1 & 2 deploy early public capital for appraisal studies and due diligence; and phase 3 defines risk, scope, price, and operating agreements once empirical data is established, thereby mobilizing broader private and federal capital.

Harold Thomas of the Bonneville Environmental Foundation outlined three mechanisms for mobilizing private non-traditional capital for watershed restoration: recycling capital (e.g., Borderlands Conservation Fund returnable grants for Mexican farmers, creating volumetric credits sold to corporations), private commercial capital (Water Restoration Credits sold to corporations), and catalytic capital to bridge pre-development delays (e.g., Blue Forest Forest Resilience Bonds, where upfront private capital covers forest restoration and is repaid over time by downstream utilities).

📌 INNOVATION & FINANCING LESSON

Multibillion-dollar water projects become financeable by reducing uncertainty in stages. State legislatures must build durable institutions, fund early technical diligence before committing capital to construction, and leverage physics-informed AI models to predict long-term water availability.

📌 DATA, AI & CLIMATE PREDICTABILITY

DOE Genesis Mission: $300M+ federal AI initiative targeting US water-energy predictability.

Physics-Informed AI: Combines machine learning with fundamental thermodynamic laws rather than black-box statistical fitting.

Streamflow Forecasting: Satellite and sensor data assimilation improves multi-week to seasonal runoff predictions.

Legislative Policy Dialogue

During the forum’s open legislative dialogue, participating state lawmakers shared legislative actions and regional challenges.

Arizona: Operating WIFA’s $1B Water Augmentation Fund (75% allocated for imports/desalination).

California: Passed $10B Climate Bond to buffer water infrastructure against general fund budget cuts.

Colorado: Directed $37M in 2026 sports betting tax revenue to the Colorado Water Plan. Senator Simpson issued a cautionary warning from the Rio Grande Basin, where over $100M has been spent to fallow 50k+ acres, yet aquifers remain at all-time lows.

Nevada: Updating State Water Plan (unchanged since 1997); enforcing AB 356 turf bans.

New Mexico: Enacted $350M water package ($100M infrastructure, $85M land restoration, $22.5M Texas settlement to fallow 87k AF); providing oversight on ‘Project Jupiter’ data center energy/water friction.

Utah: Addressing data center water use; developing geothermal laws and prison-based native plant propagation.

Wyoming: Enacted 2026 Voluntary Water Conservation Act; funding mountain brush mulching to improve watershed yields.

📌 STATE LEGISLATIVE POLICY HIGHLIGHTS

Rio Grande Cautionary Warning: Spending $100 million+ to fallow 50k+ acres failed to restore aquifers, proving fallowing limits.

Data Center Water-Energy Friction: ‘Project Jupiter’ ($160B IRB in NM) and Utah data centers driving new legislative oversight.

Dedicated Funding Streams: Colorado dedicated $37M in sports betting taxes to its State Water Plan; California passed $10B Climate Bond.

State Trust Funds: New Mexico created trust funds for Medicaid, behavioral health, early childhood, and conservation legacy.

Summary Matrix 8: Cross-State Legislative Policy Mechanisms & Thematic Focus

Policy Mechanism	States	Specific Legislative / Statutory Action	Key Takeaway & Policy Impact
Water Augmentation Funds	Arizona, California	AZ WIFA $1B fund (75% desal/imports); CA $10B Climate Bond	Buffers water infrastructure against general fund budget deficits.
Turf Bans & Municipal Rules	Nevada, Colorado, Utah	NV AB 356 turf ban; CO/UT municipal turf limits & native plant bills	Hardens municipal demand; shifts urban landscape standards across West.
Funding State Water Plans	Colorado, New Mexico	CO sports betting tax ($37M in 2026); NM $350M water package	Creates reliable annual revenue streams for local water projects & restoration.
Agricultural Fallowing Limits	Colorado (Rio Grande), NM	$100M+ spent to fallow 50k+ acres in CO; $22.5M NM/TX settlement	Proves voluntary fallowing alone cannot reverse deep aquifer/hydrologic deficits.
Data Center & PFAS Regulation	New Mexico, Utah	NM PFAS mitigation & data center oversight (‘Project Jupiter’)	Forces legislative scrutiny on high water/energy demands of tech infrastructure.

Policy Tours

On the afternoon of September 10th, forum attendees participated in off-site policy tours showcasing San Diego County’s advanced, energy-intensive water production facilities.

The first stop was the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. Built through a public-private partnership representing a $1 billion private investment, the facility yields between 48,000 and 56,000 acre-feet of desalinated ocean water annually for a region that receives less rainfall than Phoenix. Panelists highlighted the facility as a prime example of high-intensity energy production. While seawater desalination is costly at $3,500 per acre-foot, blending it into San Diego’s broader portfolio of lower-cost conserved water allows the region to secure a 100% reliable local supply.

The group then visited the City of San Diego’s North City Pure Water Facility and Pump Station. This facility demonstrates the future of urban water recycling, utilizing advanced purification technologies—such as specialized membrane filtration—to turn recycled wastewater into high-quality drinking water. The pump station and purification infrastructure that will expand San Diego’s local water supply.

The tours provided legislators with a practical look at the water-energy nexus discussed during the morning panels, illustrating both the high energy requirements of advanced treatment and the operational strategies required to build drought resilience. New Mexico Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, CRF co-chair, noted that visiting these facilities offered participants an invaluable, hands-on perspective on how Lower Basin urban communities are investing in infrastructure to adapt to ongoing Colorado River scarcity.

A special thanks to the City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department, Channelside Water Resources, and the San Diego County Water Authority for their support in organizing and conducting the tours.

CSG West Business and Leadership Rotation

Edgar Ruiz, Director of CSG West, presented organizational updates and informed members about the Western Water Academy concept. Supported by initial seed funding approved by CSG West officers, the goal of the academy is to strengthen legislative capacity, oversight, and cross-state collaboration. The aim will be to have an inaugural class of 26 legislators (two from each of the 13 western states).

The forum concluded with the election of new CRF co-chairs for the 2027–2028 term. Based on the established regional rotation, the membership unanimously elected Colorado Senator Dylan Roberts as Upper Basin co-chair and Arizona Senator Tim Dunn as Lower Basin co-chair. Both incoming co-chairs pledged to foster continuous inter-session dialogue and maintain basin collaboration.

Newly elected Colorado River Forum co-chairs for the 2027–2028 term. From left: Arizona Senator Tim Dunn and Colorado Senator Dylan Roberts.

The members and staff expressed deep gratitude to California Assemblymember Diane Papan and New Mexico Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart for their leadership and stewardship of the CRF during the 2025-26 biennium.