Colorado River

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo released a joint statement Saturday calling on Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico to offer more concessions.

Negotiators are focusing on a five-year agreement for sharing water from the shrinking river. Experts say that would provide some much-needed flexibility.

Utah’s statewide snowpack level has reached a record low. Much of the West is in the grip of a snow drought, impacting everything from water supplies to mountain forests.

State negotiators entered the meeting at a years-long impasse over how water restrictions should be managed during dry years. They now have less than two weeks until a federal Feb. 14 deadline.

Four days of negotiations in a Salt Lake City conference room earlier in January did not appear to have sparked a breakthrough.

The proposals range from taking "no action" to a scenario that might result in water cuts to the lower basin states of California, Nevada and Arizona. One alternative developed in partnership with conservation groups would incentivize proactive conservation of the river.

Water leaders in the U.S. West gathered this week in Las Vegas with a hefty task hanging over their heads — figuring out a long-term plan for sharing water from the Colorado River.

“We're closer to the edge of the cliff than we realize,” said one Colorado River expert who worked on a new report outlining what 2026 could hold for Utah’s Lake Powell.

Projects across Utah’s Colorado River Basin meant to protect water supplies and restore rivers are in a holding pattern — including a $200 million reservoir near Price, Utah.

“We're just trying to be proactive,” said one Carbon County farmer. “Hopefully, we can make some kind of difference in the big picture.”

Around half of Utah’s counties have met their 2030 conservation goals. Taking a closer look at who is succeeding and struggling offers a glimpse of why it’s hard to save water in Utah.

Utah and the 6 states that share the river missed a federal Nov. 11 deadline to make progress on a new water agreement. Gov. Katie Hobbs said she has a hard time believing the Upper Basin states can't reduce water use.