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New Colorado River plan will require steep cuts for three states as reservoirs tumble to new lows
Summary by The El Paso Editorial Desk CNN Newsource , as published by KVIA ABC-7
· July 31, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: KVIA ABC-7 · view original
Story provenance No corrections
Summary created by The El Paso Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page CNN Newsource, as published by KVIA ABC-7 Original story Read at the source Source published Jul 31, 2026 Indexed here Jul 31, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key takeaway The plan requires California, Arizona, and Nevada to reduce their water use by 16 to 20% through 2028.
A federal plan is set to be released that will impact water use from the Colorado River. The plan requires California, Arizona, and Nevada to reduce their water use by 16 to 20% through 2028. This is due to the drought-stricken river and plummeting reservoir levels.
The cuts are part of a larger effort to manage the depleted water of the Colorado River among seven basin states. Years of negotiations have not produced a deal, and the river system is in crisis. Further details on the plan are available from the US Bureau of Reclamation, which recently published its final environmental impact statement.
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As published by KVIA ABC-7 . The El Paso surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
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Category: local Published: July 31, 2026 Source: KVIA ABC-7 Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? A federal plan is set to be released that will impact water use from the Colorado River. The plan requires California, Arizona, and Nevada to reduce their water use by 16 to 20% through 2028. This is…
When was this published? This article was first published on July 31, 2026 by KVIA ABC-7 and curated for The El Paso readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by CNN Newsource at KVIA ABC-7. To learn more about how The El Paso selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
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