Boulder Canyon Operations Office - Programs and Activities

Lower Colorado River Water Accounting

More Info

History and Types of Reportsupdated icon

USGS Hydrologic Studies

Guidance Documents
2007 Interim Guidelines
Inadvertent Overrun and Payback Policy
43 CFR Part 417
Unused Water Policy
Yuma Area Water Accounting Policy Beginning in CY 2003

Forecasted Water Use - 2016

Actual Water Use - 2016



The Colorado River is the principal source of water for irrigation and domestic use in Arizona, southern California, and southern Nevada.

The Secretary of the Interior annually provides detailed and accurate records of diversions, return flows, and consumptive use of water diverted from the mainstream of the Colorado River below Lee Ferry (lower Colorado River) through the two reports below: 

Note: All reports are formatted as Adobe Acrobat PDF files. 

Water Accounting Reports

The "Water Accounting Report" tabulates measured diversions, measured returns and consumptive use of each user taking water from the lower Colorado River:
new icon 2015 (908 KB)
2014 (1.6 MB)
2013 (2.0 MB)
2012 (1.4 MB)
2011 (1.2 MB)
2010 (1.6 MB) 
2009 (1.1 MB) 
2008 (1.9 MB) 
2007 (5.3 MB)
2006 (2.4 MB)
2005 (1.1 MB)
2004 (1.2 MB)
2003 (647 KB)
2002 (1.3 MB)
2001 (1.7 MB)
2000 (1.2 MB)
1999 (1.2 MB)
1998 (1.2 MB)
1997 (1.0 MB)
1996 (1.1 MB)
1995 (1.0 MB)
1994 (1.0 MB)
1993 (1.0 MB)
1992 (1.0 MB)
1991 (937 KB)
1990 (997 KB)
1989 (927 KB)
1988 (996 KB)
1987 (1.0 MB)
1986 (804 KB)
1985 (915 KB)
1984 (787 KB)
1983 (782 KB)
1982 (843 KB)
1981 (1.2 MB)
1980 (885 KB)
1979 (927 KB)
1978 (900 KB)
1977 (896 KB)
1976 (903 KB)
1975 (906 KB)
1974 (1.0 MB)
1973 (937 MB)
1972 (1.0 MB)
1971 (1.1 MB)
1970 (985 MB)
1969 (841 KB)
1968 (897 KB)
1967 (848 KB)
1966 (723 KB)
1965 (677 KB)
1964 (464 KB)
Contact: Paul Matuska at: pmatuska@usbr.gov. 

Evapotranspiration and Evaporation Reports (formerly, LCRAS Reports)


The "Estimates of Evapotranspiration and Evaporation Along the Lower Colorado River" report provides estimates of annual agricultural, riparian vegetation, and open water acreages and water uses along the lower Colorado River from Hoover Dam to the Southerly International Boundary with Mexico. Reclamation has reported this data since 1995, in reports previously called the “Lower Colorado River Accounting System (LCRAS) Evapotranspiration and Evaporation Calculation” (see “History and Types of Reports” for additional information). Beginning with the 2009 report, Reclamation reformatted the report to provide a more user-friendly product. Comments on this new format may be submitted to neverett@usbr.gov.

Contact: Jeff Milliken at: jmilliken@usbr.gov. 

Last Updated: 6/9/16