Colorado River Board of California

What Colorado River Board of California does

The Colorado River Board of California is a state government agency established in 1937 and operating under the California Natural Resources Agency to protect the State's interests in the water and power resources of the Colorado River System. For nearly 90 years, the Board has represented California and its member agencies in negotiations with the seven Colorado River Basin States, federal agencies (notably the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of the Interior), local governments, and Mexico on water allocation, drought response, and operating guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The Board's Chair also serves as California's Commissioner on the river.

The Board does not develop or sell products or technology. Its "outputs" are policy positions, negotiated compacts, and coordination across member agencies including the Imperial Irrigation District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Palo Verde Irrigation District, Coachella Valley Water District, Bard Water District, San Diego County Water Authority, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe. It does not operate commercial distribution channels; its communications are limited to its official website (crb.ca.gov), a GovDelivery mailing list, public board meetings, and press releases.

The Board is funded through California's state budget and federal partnership programs such as the Inflation Reduction Act, and it does not generate commercial revenue. Its core operational context is the post-2026 operating guidelines negotiation, with California projecting 3.76 million acre-feet of river use in 2025 — the lowest level since 1949 — and Lower Basin states jointly proposing more than 3.2 million acre-feet of conservation through 2028.

Name

Colorado River Board of California

Legal name

Colorado River Board of California

Website

https://crb.ca.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Resource Management (Government Agency)

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Water resource management
• Interstate water negotiation
• Drought contingency planning
• River basin conservation
• State water policy advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Glendale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. State Government Funding: The Colorado River Board of California is a state government agency funded through California's state budget. It does not generate revenue through commercial means but operates as a regulatory and advocacy body representing California's interests in Colorado River water and power resources.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Colorado River Board of California represents the State of California and its member agencies in negotiations and discussions with the seven Colorado River Basin States, federal and local government agencies, tribal nations, and Mexico regarding the management of the Colorado River System. It protects California's water and power rights, coordinates drought response and conservation programs, and participates in developing post-2026 operating guidelines for Lakes Powell and Mead.

Product overview

The Colorado River Board of California is a state governmental agency, not a product or technology company. It does not offer commercial products or services. The Board's mission is to protect California's interests and rights in the Colorado River System's water and power resources through representation in negotiations with Basin States, federal agencies, and Mexico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• California's Colorado River use at lowest level since 1949 in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Arizona Department of Water ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Arizona, California, and Nevada Lower Basin states jointly proposed a plan to stabilize the Colorado River through 2028. ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke serves as Arizona's designated representative on Colorado River issues.
• Southern Nevada Water AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026SNWA General Manager John Entsminger serves as Nevada's representative on the Colorado River. Nevada has reduced consumption of Colorado River water by 41% since 2002. Southern Nevada uses less than 200,000 acre-feet annually despite 2.3 million residents.
• Department of the InteriorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2026California submitted comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Post-2026 operations at Lake Powell and Lake Mead to the Department of the Interior. The Board is actively engaged with DOI to advance a negotiated, long-term framework for river operations.
• Bard Water DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2024Bard Water District participates in seasonal fallowing programs in partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. These programs contribute water savings to help maintain Colorado River system levels while funding improvements to the district's irrigation system.
• Colorado River Basin StatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Colorado River Board represents California in discussions and negotiations with the seven Colorado River Basin States (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and California) regarding the management of the Colorado River. The Board coordinates water conservation, drought response, and post-2026 operating guidelines with these states.
• U.S. Bureau of ReclamationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Board works closely with the Bureau of Reclamation on Colorado River operations, including the development of post-2026 operating guidelines, system conservation programs, and drought contingency planning. Reclamation administers the major dams and reservoirs on the river.
• Mexico (International Boundary and Water Commission)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Board represents California in discussions with Mexico regarding international water management and the Colorado River, including binational negotiations on water sharing and conservation.
• California Natural Resources AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Board operates under the California Natural Resources Agency umbrella. Secretary Wade Crowfoot serves as the supervising official over the Board, providing policy direction and coordination with state resources departments.
• Coachella Valley Water DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoachella Valley Water District has invested heavily in irrigation efficiency including canal lining, closed pipe distribution systems, and drip irrigation. The district has saved more than 118,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water since 2022 and approved its first-ever agricultural water use reduction program in 2022.
• Imperial Irrigation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImperial Irrigation District is California's largest Colorado River water agency. IID conserves and transfers on average 500,000 acre-feet per year and has saved more than 7 MAF of water since 2003. The district is essential to the Lower Basin conservation efforts.
• Metropolitan Water District of Southern CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan Water District leads the nation in water recycling, stormwater capture, and desalination investments. MWD partners on fallowing programs and conservation efforts. The district serves 19 million people in Southern California.
• Palo Verde Irrigation DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPalo Verde Irrigation District has fallowed agricultural lands since 2005 to conserve water. At maximum, the program generates about 130,000 to 140,000 acre-feet annually. Since 2023, PVID has committed over 351,000 acre-feet of water to support Lake Mead.
• San Diego County Water AuthoritymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Diego County Water Authority is a member agency of the Colorado River Board representing San Diego County interests in Colorado River water. The Authority is committed to delivering additional solutions for the Southwest through conservation and infrastructure development.
• Fort Yuma Quechan Indian TribemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Quechan Tribe has conserved nearly 40,000 acre-feet of water to directly support river system stability. The Tribe has an agreement with Metropolitan Water District and Bureau of Reclamation to conserve over 50,000 acre-feet in Lake Mead between 2023 and 2026.
• Los Angeles Department of Water and PowermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLADWP serves Los Angeles water customers and has cut water usage by 44% over 30 years while adding over one million residents. LADWP is dedicated to water resilience through recycled water and local supply development.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Colorado Water Conservation Board: Colorado's state water planning and policy agency, representing the largest Upper Basin state. Functionally analogous to the Colorado River Board but representing an Upper Basin state rather than Lower Basin, with different supply dynamics.
• New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission: New Mexico's body for managing interstate water compacts including the Colorado River. Comparable in function to the Colorado River Board as a state-level interstate water authority, though operating in the Upper Basin with different supply priorities.

Direct peers

• Southern Nevada Water Authority: Nevada's Lower Basin Colorado River representative and joint negotiating partner with California and Arizona. SNWA has reduced Nevada's Colorado River consumption by 41% since 2002, serving as a comparable state-level water management authority in the same basin.
• Upper Colorado River Commission: Interstate compact agency representing the four Upper Basin states (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico) in Colorado River matters. Directly comparable function to the Colorado River Board but representing the opposite half of the basin.
• California Water Resources Control Board: California's state water quality and rights regulator operating alongside the Colorado River Board. While focused on water rights permitting and quality rather than basin negotiation, it is a comparable state-level water governance body within California.
• Arizona Department of Water Resources: Arizona's state water management agency and Lower Basin counterpart to the Colorado River Board. ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke represents Arizona in joint Lower Basin negotiations including the May 2026 tri-state proposal to stabilize the Colorado River through 2028.

Broad incumbents

• Bureau of Reclamation: Federal agency that administers major Colorado River dams and reservoirs and develops post-2026 operating guidelines. The Colorado River Board engages directly with Reclamation on system conservation, drought contingency planning, and operational decisions.

Others

• International Boundary and Water Commission: U.S.-Mexico binational commission that manages the Colorado River treaty delivery to Mexico (Minute 323). The Colorado River Board represents California in discussions with IBWC regarding international water sharing and conservation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colorado-river-board-cal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colorado River Board of California