"On the day of a Nov. 11 federal deadline for states to submit a water management plan for the Colorado River, negotiations remain deadlocked. Without agreement, it is unclear how a water supply that millions depend on will be managed after the fall of 2026. With hours left, a deal seems increasingly unlikely - raising the possibility of the federal government stepping in with its own plan, or that states will resort to litigation."
"Seven Western states have spent over two years struggling to reach a plan to cut water use and change rules governing major reservoirs. After 25 years of record heat and sustained severe drought, the depleted river has less to give, and it is 20% smaller on average than it was last century. With hotter, drier conditions expected to continue, the states are also grappling with limits of aging infrastructure made more urgent by low water levels and legal ambiguities."
Seven Western states failed to finalize a joint Colorado River management plan by the Nov. 11 federal deadline, leaving allocation and operations after fall 2026 uncertain. Negotiations have stalled despite more than two years of talks, increasing the chance of federal intervention or legal challenges. The river has experienced 25 years of record heat and drought, shrinking average flows about 20% from last-century levels and exposing limits of aging reservoirs and dams. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is leading talks. Any plan must address legal uncertainties, prior-appropriation rules, and longstanding tribal water rights while adapting infrastructure built for abundance to scarcity.
Read at High Country News
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