As a Colorado River deadline passes, reservoirs keep declining

Colorado River states fail to meet another federal deadline for a deal as disastrous reservoir levels loom

Negotiators from the seven states along the Colorado River blew past yet another federal deadline over the weekend without reaching a compromise on how to share its water — even as this winter’s dismal snowpack could spell immediate disaster for the river system. Yearslong discussions about how to split the river’s shrinking water supply, which is relied upon by 40 million people, remained deadlocked as the Saturday deadline for a final deal cam…

With no Colorado River deal in sight, risk of federal action intensifies. Here's what that means.

JB Hamby spent an evening in Southern California last week flipping through pages full of Colorado River meeting notes reflecting the same arguments and negotiating positions over the waterway’s future dating back to 2023.  “I’ve kept all my notebooks since I began this sick, twisted hobby back in early 2023,” Hamby, the state’s top negotiator on Colorado River issues, said Friday. “Our real issue is not that we’ve run out of time. … The problem…

As a Colorado River deadline passes, reservoirs keep declining

On Feb. 13, the leaders of seven states announced, one day before a Trump administration deadline, that there is still no deal to share the diminishing waters of the Colorado River. That leaves the Southwest in a quagmire with uncertain repercussions while the river's depleted reservoirs continue to decline.

Wild winds on the Plains today, along with fire risk as we look at how the Colorado River negotiations failed spectacularly

In brief: There’s some pretty high fire risk on the Plains today, as powerful winds impact the region, along with some mountain snow and snow near the Canadian border. Today, we also take a detailed look at how negotiations on a revised Colorado River compact failed spectacularly and what may come next. A rollicking storm is going to push across the Western U.S. today, leading to a wide swath of gusty winds and high fire danger on parts of the P…

Imported Water Supply Remains Unsettled After Deadline Missed for River Plans

LOS ANGELES - Leaders from the seven states that rely on the Colorado River missed a February 14 deadline set by the Trump administration to reach a shared plan for handling deeper shortages. The deadline doesn’t, by itself, change water…

#ColoradoRiver states tell feds ‘no deal’ on water shortage plan — AZCentral.com #COriver #aridification

Map of the Colorado River drainage basin, created using USGS data. By Shannon1 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Click the link to read the article on the AZCentral.com website (Branson Loomis). Here’s an excerpt: February 13, 2026 Key Points The seven Colorado River Basins states failed to reach a shortage-sharing agreement in time for a Feb. 14 deadline set by the federal government. State officials say negotiations have yielded “…