It’s time for an agreement in the Colorado River Basin, Colorado water and climate experts say. Colorado River officials are at odds over how to store and release water in the basin’s reservoirs when the current rules lapse in 2026. Publicly, state negotiators stick close to their original, competing proposals, released early in 2024. Colorado experts watching the process understand the difficulty — it’s painful to talk about cutting water use — but time is of the essence. … If states are going to propose a united plan, then they need to do it by the end of 2025, preferably sooner, experts said. Two new reports offer glimpses into how officials envision the river’s future: a revised proposal from four states, including Colorado, submitted Dec. 30, and a new, in-depth report on the Bureau of Reclamation’s strategies, released Jan. 17.  

Other Colorado River articles:

• E&E News by Politico: Colorado River senators press states to reach deal
• Axios: Arizona preparing for possible litigation over Colorado River water negotiations
• KUNC (Greeley, Colo.): Money for the Colorado River faces an uncertain fate under Trump
• Sky-Hi News (Granby, Colo.): Hot Sulphur Springs water treatment plant gets improvements
• Arizona Daily Star: Federal forecasters predict low flows into Colorado River