Utah lawmakers created a new water agent and development council last year, aiming to secure future water needs as the state grows, including the possibility of negotiating for additional water outside of the state’s boundaries. … The Colorado River remains one of the biggest questions. While the river only accounts for about a quarter of the state’s water supply, the state estimates that about 60% of residents rely on it for their water needs. About 40 million are befitted by the river throughout the basin. Utah currently receives 23% of the Upper Basin’s allocation through the Colorado River Compact signed in 1922. However, Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, suggested that a pipeline or renegotiations over the deal could be part of a new water agent program when he unveiled his bill to create the system last year. This could be done by potentially helping Lower Basin states like California build desalination plants in exchange for river water shares.

Other Colorado River articles:

• KSL TV (Salt Lake City): What swapping crops for houses means for Utah’s water and agriculture future
• Odessa American: TPWD finalizes purchase of 2,020 acres near Colorado Bend State Park
• Summit Daily (Frisco, Colo.): A Colorado nonprofit is appealing a land exchange in Summit and Grand counties as federal officials move to complete the swap