"Negotiators for seven Western states are under mounting pressure to reach an agreement outlining how they plan to share the Colorado River's dwindling water. The Trump administration gave the states a Tuesday deadline to agree on the initial terms of a plan for cutting water use to prevent the river's reservoirs from declining to dangerously low levels. Because California uses more Colorado River water than any other state, it will play a central role in any deal to take less from the river."
"Persistent disagreements have pitted the three states of the river's lower basin - California, Arizona and Nevada - against the four upper-basin states - Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico. They disagree not only on whose water should be cut, and how much, but also over how much water should be released from Lake Powell, a key reservoir upstream from the Grand Canyon."
"The Colorado River provides water for cities from Denver to San Diego, 30 Native tribes and farming communities from the Rocky Mountains to northern Mexico. The Colorado has long been overused, with so much water taken out that for decades the river has seldom met the sea, transforming once-vast wetlands in Mexico into stretches of dry sand."
Seven Western states face a deadline to outline cuts in Colorado River use to prevent reservoirs from falling to dangerously low levels. California's outsized share of river water makes it a central player in any reduction plan. Negotiators have met for two years to craft post-2026 rules, but deep divisions persist between lower-basin states (California, Arizona, Nevada) and upper-basin states (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico). Disputes focus on whose water is reduced, how much, and on releases from Lake Powell. Talks continue in secret locations as the overused river still supports cities, tribes and farms.
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