Senate Hearing Exposes Colorado River Failures + Fish Kill, Drought Update

A dramatic week unfolded across the American West as water officials, scientists, and lawmakers sounded increasingly urgent warnings about the future of the Colorado River. This week's Western-Water Weekly examines a new expert report warning that the Colorado River Basin continues to use more water than nature provides, a major Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on June 10, 2026, where lawmakers discussed missed deadlines, potential interstate lawsuits, and the future of post-2026 river operations, and a catastrophic fish kill that wiped out virtually the entire fish population at Arizona's San Carlos Lake. We also cover viewer comments, the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, New Mexico's new surface water protection efforts, Wyoming's drought challenges, monsoon outlooks for Arizona, and the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. A significant portion of this episode includes testimony and discussion from the June 10 Senate hearing on the Colorado River. The hearing featured testimony from federal officials, water managers, conservation groups, and agricultural representatives. If you're primarily interested in the news stories, feel free to use the chapter links below to jump directly to the topics that interest you most. As always, Western-Water Weekly provides plain-spoken reporting focused on the Colorado River Basin states and the water issues shaping the future of the American West. We’re based on 30+ years of water law experience and 20+ years of reporting water issues, so you’ll see news, not hype. Visit https://western-water.com for daily water news. CHAPTERS: 00:00 A Rough Situation Out West – News Overview 01:04 The Math’s Not Adding Up – Experts Issue Dire Report 03:25 Colorado River Showdown in Washington 15:25 Progress on the Navajo-Gallup Project; New Mexico Streams 17:18 Drought Effects, Fish Kill, Commenters’ Concerns 19:57 Arizona and an El Niño Monsoon 21:13 The Latest Drought Monitor Report FULL SENATE HEARING: https://www.energy.senate.gov/hearing... PRODUCTION NOTES: Here on Organic Promotions (and Western-Water), we use AI to visualize some concepts. Portions of this video include AI-generated visuals and a digital presenter. All reporting, research, editorial decisions, and narration were produced and reviewed by a human creator. While portions of the video are AI-assisted for better visual quality, the research, scripting, and journalistic curation remain 100% human and are based on decades of experience in western water issues. All news items discussed are based on real published research, government press releases and news stories. These tools allow us to bring these complex stories to life. Thank you for your support and understanding. MUSIC LICENSES: Theme Music: Cody Martin: Invigorate License Code: QEDWBPZMPF13HNC0 #ColoradoRiver #WesternWater #Drought #WaterNews