US EditionColorado River negotiators are nearly out of time — and snowpack
- On Feb. 14, the seven Colorado River Basin states failed to reach a shortage-sharing agreement by the federal deadline set by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation after months of stalled talks.
- This winter's snowpack was at less than half its normal level, leaving reservoirs like Lake Powell at 26% full and the 1922 Colorado River compact's allocations in question.
- Negotiators voiced frustration, with Tom Buschatzke and John Entsminger issuing pointed statements after the Upper Basin rejected mandatory cuts, despite Lower Basin offers including Arizona's 27%, California's 10%, and Nevada's 17%.
- The Interior Department warned it will impose a plan if states fail to agree, but the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Basic Coordination fallback relying on Lower Basin cuts could prompt lawsuits, while litigation could reach the U.S. Supreme Court before the 2027 water year.
- The Colorado River system supports 40 million people, with twenty-two of 30 tribes holding rights to a quarter of the supply, while experts warn dead pool at Lake Mead risks farms and hydropower amid shrinking snowpack.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Colorado Newsline
Utah News DispatchColorado River negotiations crumble as another deadline passes by
The Colorado River is pictured where if flows near Hite, just beyond the upper reaches of Lake Powell, on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)Seven states drawing water from the Colorado River for drinking, farming and electricity walked away from the negotiating table Friday without a deal on how to share the dwindling water supply starting next year. Negotiators spent months trying to close an expansive divi…
These three states make up the so-called Lower Basia and are in conflict with the four top Basia States: Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico
Hartford Courant
Los Angeles TimesAs a Colorado River deadline passes, reservoirs keep declining
By Ian James, Los Angeles Times The leaders of seven states announced Friday, 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. Former U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that the impasse no…
Colorado River deal unlikely, says prominent Colorado water attorney, as federal deadline looms
Prominent Colorado water attorney James Eklund tells Denver7 its unlikely the seven states in the Colorado River Basin will reach an agreement before its Feb. 14 deadline, shifting control of the Colorado River to the federal government.The rivers operating guidelines that determine water allocations and replenishment responsibilities expire at the end of the year, and the Department of the Interior said if the states cannot come to an agreement…
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