The Colorado River, whose water is shared by 7 states, is shrinking

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]Tonight, the Colorado River is on the brink of disaster. It's water is shared by seven states, and that's a big part of the problem. CBS's Jonathan Vigliotti is in Los Angeles to break down those details. Jonathan, good evening.

[00:00:13]Andrica, good evening to you. More than 40 million people rely on the Colorado River for water. Many here in the West take it for granted, but could now face new restrictions as the river continues to shrink.

[00:00:26]The Colorado River is in crisis. A growing population is taking more water from it as a hotter climate is drying up the supply. The snowpack in the Rockies that feeds the river fell to record lows this winter, pushing major reservoirs downstream like Lake Mead and Lake Powell toward critically low levels.

[00:00:45]>> Causes of those declining reservoir levels are multiple. It's not one thing, but certainly this year, we didn't get any help from Mother Nature. Federal officials recently began releasing billions of gallons of water into Lake Powell to prevent disruptions in hydropower. At the same time, Arizona, California, and Nevada are now scrambling to conserve water, unveiling an emergency proposal that would pay some users to consume less. But without a broader agreement among the states the river flows through, each fighting for more of the share, experts warn mandatory water cuts could deepen. That would threaten farming, hydropower, and the water supply millions of people rely on in cities from Phoenix to Los Angeles. And with key federal operating rules set to expire later this year, the Bureau of Reclamation is expected to decide this summer how future cuts will be divided among states.

[00:01:42]Now, there has been some relief. A snowstorm last week in the Rockies dumped several [music] feet. It has helped, but experts say, Dorica, it is not a long-term solution.

[00:01:52]Jonathan Vigliotti, thank you.