The Bureau of Reclamation has released the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for Near-term Colorado River Operations. The supplement is to the December 2007 Record of Decision associated with the Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead, referred to as the 2007 Interim Guidelines. **Purpose and Need** The purpose of the SEIS is to supplement the 2007 Interim Guidelines to modify guidelines for operation of Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam to address historic drought, historically low reservoirs, and low runoff conditions in the Colorado River Basin. The need for the modified operating guidelines is based on the potential that continued low runoff conditions in the Colorado River Basin could lead Lake Powell and Lake Mead to decline to critically low elevations, impacting operations through the remainder of the interim period (prior to January 1, 2027). **Alternatives** The draft SEIS considers three alternatives: - The No Action Alternative, required by the National Environmental Policy Act, describes the continued implementation of existing agreements that control operations of Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams. - Action Alternative 1 models operational changes to both Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam. Action Alternative 1 includes assumptions for reduced releases from Glen Canyon Dam as well as assumptions for additional Lower Colorado River Basin shortages based on the concept of priority. Action Alternative 1 models progressively larger additional shortages as Lake Mead's elevation declines and models larger additional shortages in 2025-2026 as compared with 2024. The total shortages and Drought Contingency Plan contributions in 2024, as modeled, are limited to 2.083 million-acre-feet because this is the maximum volume analyzed in the 2007 Interim Guidelines final environmental impact statement. - Action Alternative 2 is similar to Action Alternative 1, in how it models operational changes to both Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam. Action Alternative 2 includes assumptions for reduced releases from Glen Canyon Dam as well as assumptions for additional Lower Colorado River Basin reductions that are distributed in the same percentage across all Lower Basin water users. While both the 2007 Interim Guidelines and the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan encompass shortages and contributions that reflect the priority system, the additional shortages identified in Action Alternative 2 for the remainder of the interim period would be distributed in the same percentage across all Lower Basin water users. Action Alternative 2 models progressively larger additional shortages as Lake Mead's elevation declines and models larger Lower Basin shortages in 2025-2026 as compared with 2024. The total shortages and Drought Contingency Plan contributions in 2024, as modeled, are limited to 2.083 million-acre-feet because this is the maximum volume analyzed in the 2007 Interim Guidelines FEIS. **Public Involvement** The draft SEIS will be published in the Federal Register on April 14, 2023, starting the 45-day public comment period. Paper copies are available for public review at the Lower Colorado Basin Regional Office, 500 Fir Street, Boulder City, Nevada 89005, and at the Upper Colorado Basin Regional Office, 125 South State Street, Room 8100, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138, as well as area offices within the Colorado River Basin. Those offices and their locations can be found on Reclamation's website. Written comments on the SEIS should be submitted by May 30, 2023. Reclamation is particularly interested in receiving specific recommendations related to the analyses or alternatives that can be considered and potentially integrated into the SEIS. For information in Spanish on how to attend the public meetings or provide comments, please download the instructions here. Para obtener información en español sobre cómo asistir a las reuniones públicas o presentar observaciones, descargue las instrucciones aquí.