California’s biggest water districts presented their own framework Tuesday for how to share the Colorado River’s dwindling water supply, including a commitment to conserve 440,000 acre-feet of water per year – enough to meet the needs of 1.5 million households annually. Last month, the seven western states that rely on the Colorado River missed a federally-imposed deadline to submit a preliminary agreement for a plan to replace the river’s operating guidelines set to expire at the end of 2026. Those negotiations continued Tuesday during the annual Colorado River Water Users Association’s conference in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace. … California is projected to cap water use at 3.76 million acre-feet in 2025 – the lowest annual use since 1949.

Other Colorado River negotiations news:

• Las Vegas Review-Journal (Nev.): California on track for lowest Lake Mead use in 75 years
• KTNV (Las Vegas, Nev.): Colorado River stakeholders gather in Las Vegas as water crisis deepens
• The Colorado Sun (Denver): Colorado River gathering kicks off with rhetoric, concerns over river’s future
• FOX13 (Salt Lake City, Utah): Grappling with a horrible hydrology, Colorado River states try to strike a deal
• Courthouse News: Colorado River group describes history of water disputes, looks for solutions
• Voice of San Diego: Commentary: Colorado River negotiations are stuck in the mud