Other states must follow Nevada’s lead on water re-use

If the Colorado River states don’t submit a comprehensive water management plan by May, the federal government may impose its own standards that could force states to further cut their use.

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Editorials

April 10, 2025 - 3:39 PM

A view of the Colorado River from the Navajo Bridge in Marble Canyon, Arizona, Aug. 31, 2022. States dependent on the water are facing a May deadline to arrive at a consensus on how to ration their use. Photo by (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

The seven Colorado River states have only a few weeks left to submit a comprehensive plan for water management going forward. A new study by UCLA researchers should further inform the negotiations as they enter the late stages.

The states continue to discuss a framework for cooperation over the river’s precious water supply when the current deal expires at the end of 2026. 

Conflicts between the upper basin states — Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico — and those in the lower basin — Nevada, California and Arizona — have slowed progress. There has also…

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