Negotiations between seven states pulling water from the Colorado River are ongoing, with potential legal challenges hanging in the balance should the states not agree on a solution regarding the river’s management after 2026.
States in the lower and upper Colorado River Basin are again arguing over who should shoulder water cuts to account for depleting water levels in the Colorado River and its two major reservoirs—Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
Drought and overuse have depleted the river, which provides drinking water to the region’s residents as well as irrigation for farms throughout the upper and lower Basin, which consists of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, California, Arizona and Nevada. Reservoir levels at both lakes are also falling , heightening concern about the future of water access in the region…