The Rundown
- Mexico will contribute 250,000 acre-feet of water cuts in 2027 and 2028 to help the Colorado River basin.
- EPA survey of industrial sources of PFAS into wastewater treatment facilities has been under White House review for nearly two years.
- GAO recommends improvements to a disaster-risk assessment tool developed by FEMA.
- Defense Department sees no significant environmental impact from a critical minerals smelter on the Cumberland River, in north-central Tennessee.
- U.S. oil production is on record pace this year, according to the Energy Information Administration.
And lastly, summer 2026 was the warmest on record for the Lower 48 states, NOAA finds.
“Record-breaking warmth was widespread across the West, Southwest, southern Rockies and southwestern Plains, as well as the southern Florida Peninsula. California, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado each set records for their warmest August average temperature.” – NOAA’s monthly climate summary highlighted the record heat this summer that has contributed to water-supply crises in the Colorado River and Rio Grande watersheds.
By the Numbers
74.4 F: Average U.S. summer temperature, the warmest June-August period in the 132-year historical record, according to NOAA. The average temperature was 3 F above the 20th century average. Due to severe storms, Indiana and Ohio had their wettest August on record.
13.8 Million Barrels Per Day: Forecasted U.S. crude oil production in 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. If achieved, it would be an annual record, surpassing 2025.
News Briefs
Mexico’s Colorado River Agreement
Water deliveries to Mexico will be reduced by 250,000 acre-feet annually in the next two years as part of a Colorado River agreement signed with U.S. counterparts.
Minute 334 allows for potential additional reductions if Lake Mead is projected to drop below elevation 1,000 feet. Mead currently is at 1,038 feet.
The agreement lets Mexico defer delivery of a portion of its water and instead store it in Lake Mead, to bolster the reservoir. The deferrals are capped at 250,000 acre-feet per year through 2028. To account for evaporation, the stored water available to Mexico will be reduced by 10 percent.
In most cases, Mexico cannot access the stored water if Lake Mead is below 1,025 feet on January 1.
The agreement also sets out a plan for reducing the saltiness of the water flowing to Mexico and to maintain environmental restoration sites in the delta.
PFAS Study Held Up
An EPA survey meant to understand major industrial sources of PFAS entering wastewater treatment facilities has been under review at the White House for nearly two years, the Associated Press reports.
Data from the survey is supposed to inform policies and rules to control PFAS at their source.
Wisconsin Coal Ash
EPA is proposing to allow Wisconsin to oversee coal ash dumps in the state.
Five states – Oklahoma, Georgia, North Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming – have been granted authority to run their own programs.
Studies and Reports
Disaster Risk Reduction
FEMA, which has developed a tool for assessing community disaster risk, could do a better job informing local officials about using the National Risk Index, according to a Government Accountability Office audit.
“Although FEMA has taken steps to publicly provide information on the purpose, scope, and methodology of the NRI, the lack of guidance on applying results alone or in conjunction with other risk information tools, with examples of common uses, undermines the NRI’s perceived utility,” the report states.
On the Radar
Project Crucible
The Department of Defense says a proposed $6.6 billion critical minerals smelting and refining facility will not have any significant environmental impacts.
Project Crucible, to be located on a bend of the Cumberland River in north-central Tennessee, is being evaluated under FAST-41, an expedited process meant to coordinate agency actions for faster permitting.
Congressional Hearings
On September 15, the House Science Committee will hold a hearing on technologies for forecasting and responding to natural hazards.
On September 16, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will discuss two dozen bills, including legislation on hydropower, desalination research, and aquifers shared with Mexico.
Federal Water Tap is a weekly digest spotting trends in U.S. government water policy. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.
