Utah’s water landscape doesn’t look good. After an abysmally low winter for snow, 100% of the state is already in drought. Plus, negotiations on the future of the Colorado River are still going nowhere. Gov. Spencer Cox thinks that grim reality could actually lead to more cooperation on the future of the Colorado River. … He’s hopeful that last winter’s record-low snow could bring the states that share the river together after months of deadlock and the failure to reach an agreement by a February deadline. The upstream states of Utah, Colorado and Wyoming have butted heads for years with Arizona, California and Nevada over who should cut back their water use as the West has faced a megadrought for the last quarter century.

Other Colorado River management news:

• The Salt Lake Tribune: Utah and other Colorado River states call for a mediator. Could that break the stalemate?
• FOX13 (Salt Lake City): ‘We will be doing that’ Cox assures emergency drought declaration as reservoirs projected to struggle
• The Colorado Sun (Denver): What can an 8th grader do with a saw, Jell-O and glue? Solve some of the Colorado River’s toughest problems.
• Sierra magazine: Can the Colorado River survive 2026?