Wyoming Takes First Steps Toward Voluntary Water Conservation Amid Colorado River Crisis

As Colorado River negotiations intensify ahead of a critical 2026 deadline, Wyoming is beginning to explore a voluntary water conservation program — aiming to retain control over its own water management even as it lags behind neighboring states in planning for usage cuts, WyoFile reports.

In Cheyenne last month, Wyoming’s state engineer and attorney general’s offices met with lawmakers on the select water committee to discuss the state’s role in the ongoing regional talks. Their message: the Colorado River can no longer support all of its current users, and Wyoming must prepare to adapt.

Brandon Gebhart, Wyoming’s state engineer, and Chris Brown, with the state attorney general’s water and natural resources division, emphasized that developing in-state conservation policies would allow Wyoming to retain a stronger voice in broader negotiations.

“We don’t have anything set up right now,” Gebhart said. “But I think it’s very important that if we’re to do that, we need to do it in a way that doesn’t impact our water users, and it’s something that Wyoming can live with.”

The urgency is growing. Much of the Colorado River Basin continues to face drought, worsened by climate change and below-average snowpack. The Green River — the largest tributary of the Colorado River and a vital water source for southwestern Wyoming — is under strain. It supports agriculture, urban centers like Rock Springs and Green River, and the region’s trona mining industry, which is critical to Wyoming’s economy.

Across the seven basin states and 30 tribal nations, negotiations are underway to address long-term shortages. A key proposal would reduce use basin-wide by as much as 3.9 million acre feet. However, disputes persist over how the cuts should be shared.

The Upper Basin states — Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico — want the cuts focused on the Lower Basin (Arizona, California, and Nevada) based on Lake Mead water levels. Their plan includes incremental reductions in Lower Basin water use as the reservoir declines, while Upper Basin states offer voluntary reductions. The Lower Basin proposal shares the cuts more evenly, but triggers them only at lower water levels.

Gebhart, who also represents Wyoming in river negotiations, believes that establishing a voluntary program would signal Wyoming’s commitment to the process and demonstrate that the Upper Basin states can contribute constructively.

The challenge will be crafting a program that balances competing needs. Ranchers, who hold senior water rights, dominate water use in the Green River basin. But any program must also consider the needs of towns and industries that rely on the same water supply.

“There’s a wide spectrum of opinion,” said Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association. “Some say, ‘We haven’t even used our full allocation — why should we cut back?’ Others see a chance to earn revenue from voluntary reductions.”

Magagna also stressed the importance of recognizing how conservation could affect landscapes that have historically relied on consistent irrigation.

According to Chris Brown, Wyoming trails its Upper Basin peers in water conservation planning. New Mexico and Utah have already developed programs offering funding and planning support for various users — from households to large-scale utilities. Utah now requires regular water conservation planning from major water districts and utilities.

At the close of the meeting, Wyoming lawmakers authorized the state engineer’s office to begin drafting pilot legislation for a voluntary conservation program, which will be reviewed at the committee’s next meeting in August.