Colorado River Authority of Utah
The need to create the Colorado River Authority of Utah (CRAU) comes at a critical time as Utah looks to renegotiate Colorado River operating guidelines that expire at the end of 2025. These guidelines were adopted in 2007 and defined policy for storage, releases, and deliveries.
CRAU was established in 2021 through landmark legislation, and was sponsored by the Speaker of the House and Senate President in the Utah State Legislature. The Colorado River Authority of Utah is a state agency whose mission is to protect, preserve, conserve, and develop Utah’s Colorado River system interests.
The Authority collaborates and works together with peer agencies in the six other Colorado River Basin states. Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah make up the Upper Basin States while Arizona, California, and Nevada are known as the Lower Basin States.