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What the Colorado River Drought Means for California

The Colorado River basin and its two largest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, are facing record-low water levels. We talk with environment journalists about what this could mean here in California.
Lesley McClurg
PAGE, ARIZONA - APRIL 30: The Colorado River winds through the valley near Horseshoe Bend before entering Marble Canyon on its southwest journey on April 30, 2026, near Page, Arizona. (RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Airdate: Thursday, May 28 at 10 AM

The Colorado River basin and its two largest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, are facing record-low water levels, and the seven states that rely on the water system can’t agree on what to do about it. Now the federal government may need to step in, with the Trump Administration proposing a plan that would cut 40 percent of the Colorado River’s water supply to Arizona, California and Nevada over the next decade. We’ll talk with environment journalists about what this could mean here in California.

Guests:

Camille von Kaenel, California environment reporter, Politico

Luke Runyon, co-director, The Water Desk, Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado, Boulder

Celene Hawkins, director, Colorado River Program, The Nature Conservancy

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