Congresswoman Dina Titus led eleven other members of Congress representing Upper Basin and Lower Basin states in sending a bipartisan letter to House leadership today urging them to include measures in a supplemental appropriations package that would mitigate the effects of extreme drought on the Colorado River.

“Bureau of Reclamation projections recently released show Lake Mead will drop below its record low of 2022 by the end of next month,” Congresswoman Titus said. “The lake is expected to drop even further to 31 feet below that level by mid-2028. We can wait no longer to address this crisis and the impacts it will have on the millions of people who rely on the Colorado River.”

Other Members of Congress signing the letter were Representatives Biggs, Stansbury, Crane, Vasquez, Stanton, Correa, Ansari, Costa, Grijalva, Hamadeh, and Gosar.

The letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Reps. Tom Cole and Rosa DeLauro, chair and ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, stated: “Any emergency funding package that aims to bolster our national security must recognize the immediate threat that prolonged drought and rapidly declining water levels in the Colorado River and its reservoirs pose to the millions of people whose lives and livelihoods depend on this resource. Federal investments are needed to build water supply resilience and reduce consumptive water use throughout the Colorado River Basin.”

The letter notes that in 2022 Congress provided $4 billion for drought mitigation measures. “Now is not the time to let federal support dry up. We recommend that the supplemental appropriations package include emergency funding for water infrastructure investments and upgrades in the Colorado River Basin and that significant funding is directed towards long-term planning for water reductions, conservation, and smart augmentation measures to protect the health and future of the Colorado River,” the Members said.

They also expressed support for a long-term agreement among the seven Colorado River Basin states that recognizes the natural limitations of the Colorado River. “Funding is urgently needed to limit the pain that could be felt by communities across the Basin in the near term and may smooth the path forward for post-2026 operating agreements.”

This letter was endorsed by Trout Unlimited; Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting and the Outdoors (HECHO); Family Farm Alliance; National Audubon Society; Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP); Great Basin Water Network; The Nature Conservancy; American Rivers.