H.R. 7078: To amend the Colorado River Basin Project Act to provide for the equitable distribution of Colorado River water for the lower basin States, and for other purposes.
Sponsor
David Schweikert
Republican · AZ-1
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Jan 14, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Arizona wants water cuts shared, not stacked on it
Why it matters
When the Colorado River runs short, Arizona takes the deepest cuts first, because the Central Arizona Project sits at the bottom of the priority ladder. H.R. 7078 would scrap that order and make Arizona, California, and Nevada absorb shortages proportionally, based on each state's baseline allotment. Sponsored by an Arizona Republican, it has no cosponsors yet and sits in the House Natural Resources Committee.
H.R. 7078 changes one thing, but it is a big one: how the three lower basin states divide the pain when the Colorado River runs short.
Today, when the Secretary of the Interior declares a shortage affecting the Central Arizona Project, Arizona absorbs the deepest cuts first. That is because the priority system built into western water law ranks who gets cut and who gets protected, and the Central Arizona Project sits near the bottom of that order.
This bill ditches that pecking order for these shortages. Instead, Arizona, California, and Nevada would each reduce their Colorado River diversions on a pro-rata basis, meaning proportionally to each state's base annual apportionment. The bigger a state's baseline share, the bigger its cut.
The most contested phrase is short: "without preference to present perfected rights." Present perfected rights are the oldest, most senior water claims, the ones that usually get protected first. This bill says they would not get that protection during these shortage cuts. In western water law, that is a major break from a century of priority.
There is no money in this bill. No grant program, no appropriation, no dollar figure. Its entire effect rides on changing the formula, and on how the Secretary of the Interior would apply it.
H.R. 7078 Bill Summary
What H.R. 7078 actually does.
Drought cuts get split three ways
When the Colorado River runs short for the Central Arizona Project, Arizona, California, and Nevada would all have to reduce their consumptive-use diversions, rather than letting the cuts fall on one state first.
Arizona stops taking the first hit
Because the Central Arizona Project holds a junior position in the priority system, Arizona currently absorbs shortage cuts ahead of other lower basin users. The bill replaces that order with a shared formula across all three states.
The formula follows each state's baseline share
Reductions would be made on a pro-rata basis relative to each state's base annual apportionment, so a state with a larger baseline allotment would take a proportionally larger cut.
Senior water rights lose their priority
The bill applies the cuts "without preference to present perfected rights," meaning the most senior, oldest water claims would not be protected ahead of others during these shortage reductions.
The Secretary of the Interior pulls the trigger
The reductions only kick in when the Secretary of the Interior determines there is a shortage or reduction of main stream Colorado River water for the Central Arizona Project.
Who benefits from H.R. 7078?
Arizona and the Central Arizona Project
The Central Arizona Project supplies Colorado River water to much of Phoenix and Tucson. Because it currently takes shortage cuts first, spreading reductions across all three states would soften the blow to Arizona's largest water delivery system.
Anyone arguing the lower basin should share the burden
Advocates who believe a shrinking river should be cut evenly, not by who holds the oldest claim, would get exactly that: a single proportional formula applied to Arizona, California, and Nevada alike.
Federal water managers seeking a clear rule
Once a shortage is declared, the Secretary of the Interior would have a fixed formula to follow, rather than navigating the priority system to decide whose water gets cut and whose is protected.
Who is affected by H.R. 7078?
California water users
California holds the largest lower basin baseline share, 4.4 million acre-feet a year, and many of its claims are senior. Under a pro-rata formula it would take a proportionally large cut and lose the priority protection it has today.
Holders of present perfected rights
The bill applies cuts "without preference to present perfected rights," so users holding the most senior water claims could lose the protection they would normally expect during a shortage.
Nevada and the Las Vegas area
Nevada's baseline share is the smallest at 300,000 acre-feet a year, but the bill still pulls it into shared reductions whenever the Central Arizona Project faces a shortage, even though that trigger is rooted in Arizona's supply.
Farms, cities, and industry across the lower basin
Agricultural, municipal, and industrial users who depend on Colorado River diversions in any of the three states could see reduced supplies once the Secretary declares a qualifying shortage.
HR7078 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Jan 14, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
About the Sponsor
David Schweikert
Republican, Arizona's 1st congressional district · 15 years in Congress
Committees: Joint Economic Committee, Ways and Means
View full profile →
Committee Sponsors
Natural Resources Committee
0 of 45 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
25 Republicans across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
What laws does H.R. 7078 change?
1 changes
Sections Amended
Section 301(b) of Colorado River Basin Project Act (43 U.S.C. 1521(b))
read as follows: ``(b) In times of shortage or reduction of main stream Colorado River water for the Central Arizona Project, as determined by the Secretary, all diversions from the Colorado River for consumptive use by the States of Arizona, California, and Nevada shall be reduced on a pro-rata basis relative to their base annual apportionments, without preference to present perfected rights
H.R. 7078 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Natural Resources
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Water Resources Development
- Introduced
- Jan 14, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Jan 14, 2026
Official Sources
Official Congress.gov page for the bill, including status, text, and actions.
Official U.S. Code page for the statutory section of the Colorado River Basin Project Act that H.R. 7078 would amend.
Reclamation's portal for Lower Colorado River operations, reservoir conditions, and shortage data the Secretary uses to manage diversions.
The shortage-sharing framework H.R. 7078's pro-rata formula would supersede for Arizona, California, and Nevada.
Reclamation's effort to set new operating rules after the 2007 guidelines expire at the end of 2026, the policy window this bill speaks to.
The Secretary of the Interior is the federal official named in the bill as responsible for determining the triggering shortage.
H.R. 7078 Common Questions
What does H.R. 7078 actually change about Colorado River water?
It changes how shortage cuts are divided. Instead of cutting one state's water first, Arizona, California, and Nevada would each reduce their Colorado River diversions proportionally, based on their baseline allotments.
Why does Arizona want to change the rules?
The Central Arizona Project sits at the bottom of the priority system, so Arizona takes the deepest cuts first when the river runs short. Spreading reductions across all three states would ease that burden. The bill's sponsor is an Arizona Republican.
How would the cuts be split between Arizona, California, and Nevada?
Proportionally to each state's baseline share. California's is the largest at 4.4 million acre-feet a year, Arizona's is 2.8 million, and Nevada's is 300,000, so California would shoulder the biggest pro-rata cut.
What are present perfected rights, and why does losing priority matter?
They are the oldest, most senior water claims, usually protected first in a shortage. H.R. 7078 says cuts apply "without preference" to them, so these senior users would no longer be shielded ahead of others. That breaks a century of western water law.
Does H.R. 7078 affect the upper basin states like Colorado and Utah?
No. The bill applies only to the three lower basin states: Arizona, California, and Nevada. Upper basin states such as Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico are not named.
Who decides when the water cuts kick in?
The Secretary of the Interior. The reductions only start once the Secretary determines there is a shortage or reduction of main stream Colorado River water for the Central Arizona Project.
Does H.R. 7078 cost any money?
No. There is no appropriation, grant program, or dollar figure in the bill. It only changes the formula for dividing shortage cuts. Any financial impact would come from the water-allocation consequences, not from federal spending.
What are the chances H.R. 7078 becomes law?
Early days. The bill has no cosponsors yet and was referred to the House Natural Resources Committee in January 2026. Because it shifts shortage burdens onto California and Nevada, expect regional pushback before it moves.
Based on H.R. 7078 bill text
H.R. 7078 Bill Text
“To amend the Colorado River Basin Project Act to provide for the equitable distribution of Colorado River water for the lower basin States, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
Get notified when H.R. 7078 moves
Committee votes, floor action, cosponsor changes — straight to your inbox.
Bill alerts + Legisletter's monthly briefing. Unsubscribe anytime.
Water Resources Development Bills
1 related bill we're tracking
Trending Right Now
Bills gaining momentum across Congress
Accelerating Access to Dementia and Alzheimer’s Provider Training Act
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 628.
Jul 2, 2026
Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by Voice Vote.
May 21, 2026
More Homes on the Market Act
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Feb 13, 2025
Tracking Water Resources Development in Congress? Monitor bills, track cosponsor momentum, and launch advocacy campaigns — all from one advocacy platform.