Sponsors
The bill creates a simpler, uniform pro‑rata shortage framework across Colorado River states to reduce disputes and increase predictability, but it removes seniority protections—shifting burdens onto historically prioritized users and creating short‑term operational and legal challenges.
Residents and water users in Arizona, California, and Nevada gain a clear, predictable pro‑rata shortage rule so cutbacks are shared proportionally to each State's apportionment.
Reduces litigation and administrative disputes by forbidding preferential treatment for present‑perfected rights during declared shortages, creating a uniform implementation standard.
Holders of senior or 'present perfected' water rights (including many farms and rural communities) lose priority protections during shortages, risking reduced water access and economic harm.
Uniform pro‑rata cuts will impose larger relative burdens on communities and sectors that historically relied on senior rights (notably some agricultural areas), increasing economic and social stress for those households and businesses.
States and water managers may face short‑term operational and legal challenges adjusting existing allocation systems to a strict pro‑rata rule, potentially disrupting deliveries and planning.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Mandates pro rata reductions to Arizona, California, and Nevada consumptive CAP diversions during main-stem Colorado River shortages and removes preference for present perfected rights.
Changes how main-stem Colorado River shortages affecting the Central Arizona Project (CAP) are handled by requiring that cuts to consumptive diversions by Arizona, California, and Nevada be made pro rata based on each state's base annual apportionment. The bill removes any special preference for ‘‘present perfected rights’’ when those proportional reductions are determined. The effect is to make shortage reductions across the three states proportional to their apportionments rather than protecting holders of senior or perfected rights from reductions, which could shift how shortages are shared among agricultural, municipal, tribal, and other water users.
Introduced January 14, 2026 by David Schweikert · Last progress January 14, 2026