Colorado River Basin States to develop a plan by 2026

Negotiations to determine the use of Colorado River water continue to stall as federal officials unveiled several proposals to determine the future of the dwindling Colorado River, which irrigates millions of acres of farmland, generates electricity, provides water for more than 40 million people, and is vital to the ecosystem.

The basin’s seven states must agree on a unified plan by 2026, when current guidelines for managing the river’s waters end.

Alex Hager, Colorado River Basin Reporter, KUNC 91.5 FM, Greely, explains where we are in those negotiations.

One of the points in conflict is how much, and how the Colorado River water is distributed, and especially how the water is used and managed.

The government wants to analyze the options and for the states to have their proposals and agreements on how to manage the Colorado River water.

Another issue is that climate change plays an important factor and now the change of government that will be headed by Donald Trump, will be a challenge.

It is important to say that the agreement was signed in 1922 and it is expected to be renewed and updated in 2026 in view of the new reality and the challenges posed by climate change.

This program is part of the series Cuando se seca el Arroyo and financed in part by The Walton Family Foundation.