U.S. federal authorities will impose significant Colorado River cuts on California, Nevada and Arizona over the next two years, reducing Lower Basin use by 1.25 million acre-feet, or about 1.54 billion cubic meters, annually in 2027 and 2028, with steeper cutbacks still possible if conditions worsen. Arizona faces the largest share under the Bureau of Reclamation plan, while Upper Basin states Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico face no mandated reductions for now, and Mexico will cut 250,000 acre-feet under a U.S.-Mexico treaty. Officials cited a 26-year drought, last winter’s record-low snowpack and climate-driven depletion that has left Lake Mead and Lake Powell at historic lows and their combined reserves at the weakest level in nearly seven decades. Current operating rules expire in October without a seven-state long-term deal; state officials cast the package as near-term bridge stability, while conservation advocates in Southern Nevada warned further cuts could stall development around Las Vegas.