Environmental & Energy
Jul. 3, 2025
Rewriting the river: California's gamble on the Colorado's future
As California fights to protect its century-old water rights while the Colorado River shrinks to dangerous lows, the nation's most populous state finds itself navigating between legal tradition and climate reality, with 40 million people's water supply hanging in the balance.
Roberto Escobar
Roberto "Bobby" Escobar is general counsel, and an environmental and labor and immigration advisor.
As the American West faces mounting water insecurity, California stands at a crossroads -- leading efforts to reshape how the Colorado River is governed, even as it defends the legal foundations that have long secured its water rights. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), through the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), has become a pivotal player in this negotiation, balancing reliability for millions of urban residents with a growing r...
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