"A proposal to find new water for the Southwest by using desalinated ocean water from Mexico faces difficult odds as what remains of the waning Colorado River is legally contested by its surrounding states.
Southwestern states for years have sought to find new sources of water in a drying region, and desalination, the process of removing salt from ocean water to make it potable, is one of the solutions they’re studying. Arizona advanced one such project on Sept. 16, which proposes to provide water for Mexico in exchange for part of the state’s share of Colorado River water.
The proposed Northern Gulf of California Desalination Project calls for Arizona to build a plant in the Gulf of California to supply drinking water to residents in Baja California, Mexico. Arizona would then use some of Mexico’s supply of Colorado River water to augment its own.
But the project faces the same challenge threatening water throughout the region — too little Colorado River water to go around."
Bobby Magill reports for Bloomberg Environment September 28, 2026.
