A federal decision expected within days on who bears the brunt of Colorado River water cuts has a direct line to Draper kitchen faucets — and to the water bills that pay for them.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is poised to release a binding Record of Decision on post-2026 Colorado River operations by early August, Reuters reported on Monday, July 27. A source close to the Colorado River Authority of Utah told ABC4 the Record of Decision and two-year operating guidelines were expected around the week of Aug. 4. As of Wednesday, July 29, no final documents had been released.
The ruling would require Arizona, California, and Nevada to slash their combined water use by 1.6 million acre-feet per year in 2027 and 2028, a 21% cut to their current allotments. Those reductions could nearly double starting in 2029, rising to 3 million acre-feet annually through 2036.
Utah would be spared.
As an Upper Basin state, Utah would not face mandatory cuts under the reported plan. But Draper's water supply is tied to the Colorado River system through a chain most residents never think about.
Draper's Colorado River connection
Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, Draper's wholesale culinary water supplier, depends on the Colorado River for roughly 64% of its deliveries. JVWCD General Manager Jacob C. Young quantified that exposure in a March 2 comment letter to the Bureau of Reclamation on the same federal proceeding: "Approximately 70,000 acre-feet per year of the 110,000 acre-feet per year we deliver to our customers is dependent on Colorado River to Great Basin trans-basin water."
That water reaches the Wasatch Front through the Central Utah Project, a trans-basin diversion from the Uinta Basin that JVWCD holds the largest contract on. JVWCD serves 17 member agencies and roughly 800,000 residents across Salt Lake County, with Draper accounting for about 4,600 water connections.
Rate increase already in the pipeline
Draper residents are already absorbing rising wholesale costs. The city's FY2026-27 tentative budget, presented to the City Council on May 19, proposes a 4.5% culinary water rate increase. Finance Director John Vuyk described it as "a direct pass through" of higher Jordan Valley Water District purchase costs. For a household using 20,000 gallons per month, that adds roughly $3.30 to the monthly bill, according to city budget documents.
The increases have compounded: Jordan Valley raised its rate to Draper by 4.6% in FY2026, 6.7% in FY2025, and 5.1% in FY2024. Draper's culinary water fund budget for FY2027 totals $15.3 million, up about $1.55 million from the current year.
Drought pressure compounds the picture
On June 24, JVWCD and its member agencies, including Draper, declared a Level 2 water availability due to severe drought, requiring a 10% reduction in water use across all JVWCD-supplied cities.
The current Colorado River operating guidelines expire at the end of 2026, making the Bureau of Reclamation's decision legally necessary. Two prior federal deadlines for a basin-states agreement passed without a deal, and Arizona has retained a law firm in case the dispute leads to litigation.
What happens next
The Colorado River Authority of Utah said it plans to brief the media once the Final Environmental Impact Statement, Record of Decision, and two-year operating guidelines are all published.
Draper's budget adoption is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18. A Truth in Taxation hearing on the proposed property tax rate is set for Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 6 p.m. at Draper City Hall, 1020 E. Pioneer Road.
