Deadline Nears for Colorado River Water Sharing Agreement

The states that rely on Colorado River water are running out of time to come to a water sharing agreement before current operating rules expire in February. 

According to an article by Jeniffer Solis for News From the States, water officials from the seven Colorado River Basin states gathered in Las Vegas last week, but failed to break a two-year deadlock over how to manage the river’s water in coming decades and who should reduce their water usage. 

Meanwhile, water flow this year was only 56 percent of the average, the forecast for 2026 predicts a 27 percent lower-than-normal inflow, and Lake Powell’s dropping water level could force local dams to stop producing hydropower by next October. 

If the states fail to come to an agreement, the federal government could step in. “Within the next few weeks, the Bureau of Reclamation will release a range of proposals to replace the river’s current operating rules, but said they would not identify which set of operating guidelines the federal government would prefer.”