---
title: One in Three Californians Has Heard Nothing About the Colorado River Drought
description: Federal rules for Lake Powell and Lake Mead expire this year. Polling across seven basin states found Californians least aware of the drought.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
updated: 2026-07-29T21:27:43.835Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/colorado-river-post-2026-rules-california-awareness
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/lake-mead-colorado-river-post-2026-67018.webp
categories: Politics
content_type: News
region: United States
publication: Sovereign Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

The federal agreements that set how seven states share the Colorado River expire at the end of this year, and the process to replace them is still running. New polling across those states found that voters in all seven back the same remedies by similar margins. What differs, and sharply, is how much they have heard about the problem at all.

In California, 9 percent of registered voters said they had heard, seen or read a lot this year about drought in the Colorado River basin. Another 28 percent had heard some, 30 percent not too much, and 34 percent nothing. In Colorado the same question found 34 percent who had heard a lot and 7 percent who had heard nothing.

The survey was conducted by Morning Consult for the Walton Family Foundation, which funds river and ocean conservation work alongside its education and regional programs. It reached 2,474 registered voters across Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming from June 12 to 19, with a margin of error of 2 percent on the full sample, according to [the published topline](https://static.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/03/dd/38285b7247878d2b6cb163a2fd3a/topline-walton-family-foundation-final.pdf). California supplied the largest state sample, 606 respondents.

Between those two ends the spread is narrower. Utah recorded 34 percent who had heard a lot and 37 percent some. New Mexico had 26 percent and 40 percent, Nevada 21 percent and 38 percent, and Arizona 20 percent and 42 percent. Wyoming, on a small subsample of 100 respondents, recorded 23 percent and 43 percent.

## Voters in Every State Back the Same Four Remedies

Asked about four approaches to protecting the river, respondents across the basin answered almost identically. Restoring wetlands and floodplains drew 57 percent strong support and a further 30 percent somewhat support. Boosting municipal conservation and water reuse drew 56 percent and 31 percent, improving agricultural efficiency 56 percent and 30 percent, and managing forests with thinning and prescribed burns 55 percent and 31 percent. The four sit within two points of each other.

Respondents were readier to hand the job to their own statehouses than to Washington. Asked how important it is for officials to make water security in the basin a priority this year, 69 percent called it very important for state officials against 60 percent for federal officials. On timing, 52 percent wanted equal weight given to short-term conservation and long-term solutions, while 30 percent would prioritize long-term work and 10 percent short-term savings.

Asked how the issue ranks against everything else facing their state, 35 percent put it top of mind and 49 percent called it important but not the most pressing challenge. Asked about their personal priorities, 37 percent called addressing the river a top priority and 46 percent an important but not top one.

Wildfires drew the most concern of the eight impacts tested, at 62 percent very concerned, followed by [clean drinking water](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/pfas-removal-not-destruction-claros-series-b) and reservoir levels on 61 percent each, home insurance costs at 58 percent and food supply and prices at 57 percent. Hydropower at Glen Canyon Dam and contamination washing into rivers and streams each drew 52 percent. The state tourism economy came last, at 40 percent.

## The Governing Agreements Expire at the End of the Year

Several of the documents and agreements that govern how Colorado River facilities are operated are [scheduled to expire at the end of 2026](https://www.usbr.gov/ColoradoRiverBasin/post2026/), according to the Bureau of Reclamation. They include the 2007 Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the 2019 Drought Contingency Plans, and international agreements made under the 1944 Water Treaty with Mexico.

Reclamation published the draft environmental impact statement for what follows on January 9 and took comments from January 16 to March 2, holding two virtual public meetings. It received 18,127 submissions, of which 785 were unique submissions from the public, tribes, states, federal agencies, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders, alongside more than 17,000 form letters and 51 duplicates. The agency describes the process as a multi-year one that will set operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead for potentially decades into the future.

Between 35 and 40 million people rely on the river for some or all of their municipal water, by Reclamation's count, and agricultural use accounts for 70 percent of the water drawn from it. The United States also has a delivery obligation to Mexico under the 1944 treaty.

“The decisions we make about the Colorado River now will shape life in the West for generations to come,” said Moira Mcdonald, environment program director at the Walton Family Foundation.

## FAQ

**Q: Which states rely on the Colorado River?**
Seven states draw on the Colorado River: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The United States also has a delivery obligation to Mexico under the 1944 Water Treaty.

**Q: What is scheduled to expire at the end of 2026?**
Several agreements governing how the river is operated. They include the 2007 Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the 2019 Drought Contingency Plans, and international agreements made under the 1944 Water Treaty with Mexico. The 1944 treaty itself is not among them.

**Q: How many people depend on the Colorado River?**
Between 35 and 40 million people rely on Colorado River water for some or all of their municipal needs, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. Agricultural use accounts for 70 percent of the water drawn from the river.