Colorado River rules loom as seven-state stalemate endures

Federal water managers will unveil new Colorado River rules next week via a Final Environmental Impact Statement as drought-strained supplies tighten and negotiations among the seven basin states remain at an impasse over how to share mandatory cutbacks. The Lower Basin (Arizona, California, Nevada) has floated a plan with some mandatory reductions, while the Upper Basin (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico) has not, complicating consensus and leaving the door open for a federal plan that could impose allocations and spark litigation. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs urged compromise and broader conservation with the Upper Basin while criticizing the burden on her state.