The Colorado River is running dry and Arizona is taking the hardest hit, which is bad news for its farms, cities, and homeowners while California stays largely protected.

• Arizona faces a 31% cut to its Colorado River water; California only loses about 10%.
• Farming uses over half the river's water, and most of that grows cattle feed — much of it shipped to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Asia rather than used in the U.S.
• The 1922 deal splitting the river was based on bad measurements, so the states were promised more water than the river actually carries.
• Cities cut their water use sharply, but homes use less than a fifth of the river's supply, so the savings barely helped.
• Lake Mead and Lake Powell are near record lows, and Powell is close to the point where it can no longer make electricity.

Outlook: The temporary federal rules expire at the end of 2026, and with talks collapsed, the fight is headed for the courts while reservoirs keep falling.