When do the current Colorado River operating guidelines expire?

The 2007 Interim Guidelines, the 2019 Drought Contingency Plans, and related international agreements with Mexico are scheduled to expire at the end of 2026, per the Bureau of Reclamation's post-2026 operations pages.

When did the public comment period on the post-2026 Draft EIS close?

March 2, 2026. Reclamation released the Draft EIS on January 9, 2026; the 45-day formal comment period opened January 16, 2026 and closed March 2, 2026, with 18,127 submissions received.

Has the final decision on post-2026 Colorado River operations been made?

No. As of July 24, 2026, Reclamation's post-2026 pages list no Final Environmental Impact Statement or Record of Decision. The current guidelines expire at the end of 2026.

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Post-2026 Colorado River Operating Guidelines

The process replacing the rules that expire at the end of 2026 — timeline and documents, no speculation.

The 2007 Interim Guidelines, the 2019 Drought Contingency Plans, and related international agreements with Mexico expire at the end of 2026.
Reclamation released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for post-2026 operations on January 9, 2026; the public comment period closed March 2, 2026 with 18,127 submissions.
As of July 24, 2026, Reclamation has not published a Final EIS or Record of Decision on its post-2026 pages.

Why new rules are needed

Operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead are currently governed by the 2007 Interim Guidelines and the 2019 Drought Contingency Plans. Per Reclamation, these — together with related agreements under the 1944 Water Treaty with Mexico — are scheduled to expire at the end of 2026. The Post-2026 process is the multi-year NEPA process to determine operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead and other water-management actions after that date. Source: USBR Colorado River Post-2026 Operations.

Timeline so far (from USBR's post-2026 pages)

Date	Event
December 2007	2007 Interim Guidelines adopted; designed to run through 2026
2019	Upper and Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plans signed, also through 2026
2023	Public scoping for the post-2026 NEPA process; Reclamation published a Scoping Summary Report
November 20, 2024	Reclamation publicly released the alternatives it anticipated analyzing in the Draft EIS
January 17, 2025	Alternatives Report published, documenting operational elements of each alternative
January 9, 2026	Draft EIS released for public download
January 16, 2026	45-day formal comment period opened with Federal Register publication
March 2, 2026	Comment period closed: 18,127 submissions, including 785 unique submissions and over 17,000 form letters; two public meetings held
End of 2026	Current guidelines, DCPs, and related international agreements expire

Sources: Post-2026 Operations home and the Draft EIS page, both usbr.gov, accessed July 24, 2026.

What happens next

The current rules govern operations only through 2026, so new operating guidelines must be in place for 2027 operations. Water year 2027 begins on October 1, 2026. Reclamation's next formal NEPA steps after a draft EIS are a Final EIS and a Record of Decision; as of July 24, 2026 neither has been published. This page reports process facts only and will be updated as Reclamation publishes them — it makes no predictions about the content or timing of the final decision.