Nevada and six other Colorado River states failed to reach a broad agreement Tuesday on how to share the river’s dwindling water supply, missing a federally-imposed deadline after days of intense closed-door negotiations. Despite missing the deadline, the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation indicated states would be given additional time to continue negotiations after making “collective progress.” … The Bureau of Reclamation – which manages water in the West under the Interior Department – initially gave states until Nov. 11 to submit a preliminary agreement for a plan that could replace the river’s operating guidelines set to expire at the end of 2026. The initial timeline also called for states to share a final consensus-based plan by mid-February 2026 in order to reach a final agreement in the summer of 2026 with implementation of the new guidelines beginning in October 2026.

Other Colorado River negotiations news:

• E&E News by Politico: Deadline for Colorado River decision shifts to February
• ABC15.com: Why Gov. Katie Hobbs wants Trump administration to broker Colorado River deal
• FOX13 (Salt Lake City, Utah): As states negotiate a new Colorado River deal, water cuts could be coming to Utah
• Colorado Public Radio: States blow past Colorado River deadline, Arizona wants feds to order water cuts
• KJZZ (Phoenix): Colorado River states missed deadline to agree on a water deal. This expert is not optimistic
• The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: News release: Metropolitan issues statement on continued efforts to negotiate new rules for Colorado River operations
• Imperial Irrigation District: News release: Imperial Irrigation District statement on California’s continued leadership on the Colorado River