Monday, February 2, 2026 |
Photo – Governor Mark Gordon – Courtesy State of Wyoming
Governors from seven western states, including Wyoming, met in Washington, D.C. on Friday to discuss the future of the Colorado River Compact.
The meeting came ahead of a looming federal deadline of February 14 for reaching a new water-sharing agreement.
Governor Mark Gordon said in a statement released Friday afternoon that he left the meeting “hopeful that we’ll avoid the path of litigation. No one wins going down that path.”
The Governor added that he still has faith an agreement can be reached.
“Our chief negotiators now have their marching orders: make a deal and make it soon,” the Governor said in the statement.
Tensions persist between the Upper Basin States of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Lower Basin states, including Arizona, California, and Nevada.
The Lower Basin states, which have already implemented significant water cuts, are urging mandatory reductions from all seven states during drought years. Upper Basin states argue they cannot impose mandatory cuts due to low snowpack and existing water shortages, insisting any contributions must be voluntary.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum invited the governors and their negotiators to the nation’s capital as the federal deadline to reach a voluntary agreement to replace river operating guidelines that will expire at the end of 2026.
California Governor Gavin Newsom could not attend the meeting due to a family commitment. California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot attended the meeting in Newsom’s place.
The Bureau of Reclamation — which manages water in the West under the Interior Department — initially gave states until November 11th to submit a preliminary agreement for a plan to replace the guidelines.
When states missed that deadline, the Bureau extended the deadline to submit a seven-state agreement to February 14th.
One of the biggest disagreements between the Lower Basin and the Upper Basin states is over which faction should have to cut back on their water use, and by how much.
Lower Basin states want all seven states to share mandatory water cuts during dry years under the new guidelines. The Upper Basin, which is not subject to mandatory cuts under the current guidelines, argue that they already use much less water than downstream states and should not face additional cuts during shortages.
The Colorado River Compact was originally settled in 1922. Under the original agreement, 7.5 million acre-feet of water was to be shared each year by the Upper Basin states and another 7.5 million to be used among the Lower Basin states.
The agreement has been updated numerous times since then.
The Upper Basin states argue that, because they’ve never reached their 7.5 million acre-feet allocation, sometimes referred to as “paper water,” so they shouldn’t have to make cuts. But the Lower Basin states argue they’ve already done enough and it’s time for the Upper Basin to contribute.
Hydraulic studies by the federal government show that the river’s flow will likely decrease by 3 million acre-feet of water in the next decade, making conservation efforts more urgent.
The tight deadline to resolve the issue comes after years of failed negotiations and population growth in the southwest. If a deal can’t be reached, the next stop is court.
