MOAB, Utah — The governors of the Lower Colorado River Basin states confirmed no deal had been reached between the states to manage the river that supplies water to more than 40 million people.
It is the second time the states have blown past a deadline set by the Trump administration, though they intend to keep talking.
"To secure a seven-state agreement for post-2026 management of the river, Arizona has offered to reduce its Colorado River allocation by 27%, California by 10%, and Nevada by nearly 17%. Our stance remains firm and fair: all seven basin states must share in the responsibility of conservation," California Governor Gavin Newsom, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo said in a joint statement.
"Our shared success hinges on compromise, and we have offered significant flexibility, allowing states without robust conservation programs time to gradually develop these programs in ways that work in each state."
The statement also implied negotiations would continue: "Our commitment to a collaborative outcome is unwavering, and we will continue to pursue a negotiated resolution while protecting our water users."
Utah's Colorado River negotiator, Gene Shawcroft, was scheduled to hold a news conference Friday afternoon on the negotiations.
Updates on this breaking news story on FOX 13 News and fox13now.com as informaiton becomes available.
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
