Sponsors
The bill trades clearer, federally coordinated, pro‑rata allocation (which protects some newer users and reduces interjurisdictional uncertainty) for greater immediate economic pain for some water users, reduced state/local flexibility, and heightened litigation risk.
Residents and water users in Arizona, California, and Nevada get a clear, uniform pro‑rata shortage rule administered at the federal level, reducing legal uncertainty about how shortages are allocated and making basin-wide responses more predictable.
Centralizing shortage determinations with the Secretary of the Interior creates a single federal authority to trigger allocation rules, enabling coordinated, basin-wide implementation and faster federal responses during shortages.
Applying pro‑rata cuts treats junior and senior water users the same, protecting smaller or newer users (such as newer farms and some communities) from being cut off entirely under strict seniority regimes.
Irrigated agriculture, senior water-right holders, and the rural communities that depend on them could face larger, more immediate water reductions and associated economic harm compared with prior allocation approaches.
State governments lose flexibility to implement locally negotiated shortage‑sharing arrangements that reflect established rights, investments, and regional agreements, constraining local management choices.
A uniform federal pro‑rata rule could prompt legal challenges from parties asserting constitutionally protected water rights or state‑law entitlements, creating litigation risk and uncertainty for affected stakeholders.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires pro rata reductions to Colorado River consumptive diversions for Arizona, California, and Nevada during Secretary-declared shortages and removes statutory preference for present perfected rights.
Changes how Colorado River shortages for the Central Arizona Project are shared among Arizona, California, and Nevada by requiring the Secretary of the Interior to reduce each State’s consumptive diversions on a pro rata basis relative to their base annual apportionments when shortages are declared. The change removes the statutory preference that previously protected holders of "present perfected" (senior) water rights from having their diversions reduced first. No funding or effective date is specified in the text provided.
Introduced January 14, 2026 by David Schweikert · Last progress January 14, 2026