PARK CITY, Utah — Governors from several Western states confirmed they met this past week to discuss the Colorado River in hopes of hammering out an agreement.
"We did meet to talk about the Colorado River and what it would take to get a deal," Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed to FOX 13 News when asked directly about it. "I think we left pretty hopeful that there's work being done now."
The governors of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico — all states along the Colorado River — appeared together at a news conference on Wednesday at the start of the Western Governors Association meetings at the posh Deer Valley ski resort.
Gov. Cox signaled an appetite to take a deal offered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The Colorado River Collaborative (of which FOX 13 News is a member) reported on the offer made to the states in Colorado last month.
"There seems to be an opportunity for a shorter time frame, a framework with maybe reviews every two years where we can actually get something done and not be in court, not be in front of a judge, which we’re hopeful for," Utah's governor said. "And so that’s where we’re all aligned, the Upper Basin states are aligned."
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo echoed a desire to avoid litigation over who gets what out of the river that supplies water to more than 40 million people across the West.
"Governor Cox hit the nail on the head. We do not want to be in litigation," he said.
But there were still signs of some divisions between the Upper Basin (Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado) and Lower Basin (Arizona, Nevada and California) states.
"As everybody knows, there’s an issue between the Upper Basin and the Lower Basin. It’s a matter of efficiency, availability, resources and the authority of the federal government in the decision-making process," Gov. Lombardo said.
The stakes are very high, with demand for water out of the river exceeding supply. A recent study warned that the entire Colorado River system is headed for a "crash." Water is being released from Flaming Gorge to help prop up Lake Powell. The federal government has warned Glen Canyon Dam could be unable to generate power by the end of this year.
The U.S. Department of the Interior has said that in the absence of a state deal, it is planning to move forward with its management plan for the Colorado River. Final details are expected to be released by the end of July. The current multi-state agreements governing the river expire by October.
Still, Gov. Lombardo expressed some optimism.
"We’re running out of time, but the conversation is continuing," he said. "It’s not at a stalemate."
This article is published through the Colorado River Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative supported by the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air at Utah State University. See all of our stories about how Utahns are impacted by the Colorado River at greatsaltlakenews.org/coloradoriver
