Colorado River Cuts Could Fall Heavily on Southern California Water Agency, Pasadena Representative Says

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) could bear or pay for most of California’s required Colorado River water cuts in 2027 and 2028, Pasadena’s representative on the district’s board warned in a written update to the city’s Municipal Services Committee Tuesday.

In a written report, former City Manager Cynthia Kurtz said negotiations are continuing over how California will divide a required reduction of 440,000 acre-feet per year.

Metropolitan has junior Colorado River water rights within the state, she wrote, while much of California’s river water goes to agriculture.

The city gets about two-thirds of its total water supply from MWD, which splits its imported supplies between the Colorado River and Northern California’s State Water Project.

“Because of its junior rights, MWD will in all likelihood be responsible for making or paying for the majority of the cuts in 2027 and 2028,” Kurtz wrote. She said the effect on Metropolitan’s conservation programs and water rates remains unknown.

That means the city does not know how much of California’s reduction Metropolitan will absorb, and what that will mean for the water agency’s costs.

Kurtz said she would provide further updates as negotiations continue.

The U.S. Department of the Interior set California’s reduction as part of its operating guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake Mead for 2027 and 2028. The federal plan also calls for annual reductions of 760,000 acre-feet in Arizona and 50,000 acre-feet in Nevada. Nevada has sued to challenge the decision.

Kurtz said Metropolitan has about 4 million acre-feet of water in storage, including approximately 1.6 million acre-feet in Lake Mead. That Lake Mead water would become unavailable to the district if the reservoir fell below 1,000 feet, she wrote.

The update follows a new agreement between the United States and Mexico. Under Minute 334, Mexico’s Colorado River deliveries will be reduced by 250,000 acre-feet in each of 2027 and 2028. The countries also agreed to consult on possible further reductions in 2028 if forecasts worsen.

Lake Mead is 26% full and Lake Powell is 22% full. The existing agreements governing river operations expire at the end of the year, and the seven basin states have yet to agree on a replacement.