Gordon vows to protect state’s Colorado River shares
ROCK SPRINGS (WNE) — Speaking at Wyoming’s Big Show on Wednesday, July 29, Gov. Mark Gordon joined local leaders and community members to celebrate the opening of The Legacy Silo: Honoring the Past and Inspiring the Future at the Sweetwater Events Complex.
While attending the gathering, Gordon addressed critical regional energy and natural resource issues, highlighting ongoing battles over the Colorado River as “one of the most important issues” facing the Cowboy State and emphasizing that Wyoming is “fighting tooth and nail” to protect its water allocations.
“As you all know, the Colorado River is at the lowest volume it’s ever had,” Gordon said. “We’re at roughly 3.6 million acre-feet when we normally have something north of 5 (million) in recent years, and before that it was about 6 (million).”
Gordon said water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead have hit historic lows not seen since 1956.
“There’s a real concern about what’s going on because we have so much development happening all over, but I want you to know Wyoming has sacred laws,” Gordon said, expressing pride in the state constitution’s protection of water priorities and rights. “We will defend that ... to the death.”
According to Gordon, state officials are actively collaborating with Upper Basin partners — including Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico — to protect state allotments and ensure downstream users recognize where the water comes from, while acknowledging that Lower Basin states face severe shortages of their own.
“We’re trying to come to an agreement,” Gordon said. “I was so proud of the fact that we were able to get the director of the Bureau of Reclamation, the Secretary of the Interior, and several deputies together to talk about just how important that is to the future of life — not only for agriculture, but for all of our industries.”
This story was published on August 1, 2026.
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