Colorado River water negotiators appear no closer to long-term agreement

Wisdom from a Nobel winner to defuse the Colorado River crisis

Drought-stricken Lake Mead on the Colorado River in August 2022. (File photo by Christopher Clark / U.S. Bureau of Reclamation) In March 2025, the United States took an unprecedented step by denying Mexico’s request for a special water distribution channel from the Colorado River to Tijuana. This was followed in April by President Trump threatening tariffs and sanctions, citing Mexico’s alleged non-compliance with the 1944 Water Treaty. These e…

A River That Millions Rely on for Water Is on the Brink. A Deal to Save It Isn't.

At their annual conference in Las Vegas, Colorado River Basin states remain at an impasse over how to cut their water use as Lake Mead and Lake Powell verge on record lows.By Wyatt Myskow, Blanca Begert, Jake BolsterLAS VEGAS—The Colorado River Basin is, quite literally, 50 feet away from collapse, and an agreement to save it is nowhere in sight.

Colorado River states deadlocked on water deal as deadline gets pushed back

The seven states that rely on the Colorado River to supply farms and cities across the U.S. West appear no closer to reaching a consensus on a long-term plan for sharing the dwindling resource. The river’s future was the center of discussions this week at the annual Colorado River Water Users Association conference in Las Vegas, where water leaders from California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming gathered alongside feder…

Colorado River talks: Securing water for the West

The Colorado River Compact was negotiated in 1922 to end the fighting over the river's use, and the current round of negotiations is just as important, as more than 40 million people rely on the river for water security, and the Upper Basin states have put forward serious measures to stabilize the river.

‘The time to act is now’: Colorado River states still clashing as feds pressure them to reach a deal

At the annual Colorado River conference in Las Vegas, federal officials pressured states to reach a deal before a looming February deadline, saying: "The time to act is now."

'The river will not wait for us': Strict timeline set for Colorado River deal

Federal officials gave the clearest timeline yet for when a breakthrough could come in closed-door negotiations over the water supply of 40 million Americans.