Climate change is making the Colorado River drier, and the cities and farms that use it need to make big changes to their demand for water. Negotiations about the future of sharing the river have stalled, and the promise of sweeping, long-lasting changes to water use in the Southwest are seeming less likely as the weeks pass by. Now, a short-term fix may be on the horizon. Negotiations have been at an impasse for months, and officials are wringing their hands about the possibility of a big multi-state court battle. Given the circumstances, some experts say a short-term agreement might be a useful, albeit imperfect, solution for the Colorado River. … The states are currently staring down a Feb. 14 deadline to hand an agreement to the federal government, but it seems unlikely that they will have a deal by then.

Other Colorado River negotiations news:

• Las Vegas Review-Journal (Nev.): The Colorado River needs a Hail Mary, with time and snow in record short supply
• Arizona Daily Star (Tucson): CAP’s Colorado River supply could be decimated under some US proposals
• Scottsdale Progress (Ariz.): Scottsdale confident despite looming water cuts
• KSL (Salt Lake City, Utah): Why the water outlook for Lake Powell and Utah just got worse
• Voice of San Diego: Valentine’s Day marks next crucial deadline on the Colorado River
• Arizona Capitol Times (Phoenix): Opinion: Arizona is building a future the Colorado River cannot supply
• The Durango Herald: Opinion: Seven states, zero solutions — leadership failure on the Colorado River