The 1922 Colorado River Compact

The 1922 Colorado River Compact was an agreement among seven U.S. states—California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming—that relies on the Colorado River’s water. It divided the river’s water into two parts: the upper basin (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico) and the lower basin (California, Arizona, Nevada). The compact allocated 7.5 million acre-feet annually to each basin, with California receiving additional water. This framework aimed to manage water distribution fairly and support growth, though it was based on optimistic water flow estimates, leading to ongoing legal and environmental challenges.