Colorado River 'Tripwire' Could Push Basin Dispute to Supreme Court
Amid a record Western drought, experts warn the Colorado River’s 10-year flow may dip below the compact’s tripwire of 82.5 million acre-feet by October, risking years of litigation at the Supreme Court over how water should be allocated among seven basin states, with potential steep cuts affecting Colorado’s Front Range, downstream communities, tribes, and Mexico depending on the ruling and ongoing negotiations.