As Deadline Approaches, Colorado River Stewards Debate How to Share Water

Colorado is gearing up to fight for water rights as the Colorado River stalemate continues

As Colorado continues to negotiate with the seven Colorado River basin states on the post-2026 operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the state’s attorney general and lead negotiator are ready for a legal battle if the states continue to clash. “If it comes to a fight, we will be ready,” said Becky Mitchell, the Colorado River commissioner, who represents the state on the Upper Colorado River Commission, at the Friday, Jan. 23 SMART Act hearin…

As deadline approaches, Colorado River stewards debate how to share water

It’s crunch time for negotiators from California and six other Western states trying to strike a deal before Feb. 14 on how to share the dwindling Colorado River. But four days of talks in a Salt Lake City conference room earlier this month did not appear to have sparked a breakthrough. “We got tired of each other,” Utah’s negotiator, Gene Shawcroft, said last week at a public board meeting, days after the meeting ended. “And two of the days, we…

As deal deadline approaches, #ColoradoRiver stewards debate a broad range of options — Scott Franz (KUNC.org) #COriver #aridification

The Colorado River flows through Grand County, Colo. on Oct. 23, 2023. Negotiators from seven states remain at an impasse over how to share and conserve the river’s water despite four days of recent meetings together in Utah. Click the link to read the article on the KUNC website (Scott Franz): January 25, 2026 This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Colorado River, produced by KUNC in Colorado and supported by the Walton Family Foundatio…