Dueling state factions are set to submit separate plans over how to share the drought-stricken Colorado River to the Biden administration this month, but top water officials from one side of the divide on Monday vowed they will nonetheless return to the negotiating table in coming weeks.
Officials from across seven states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming in the Upper Basin and Arizona, California and Nevada in the Lower Basin — are drafting new operating plans for the 1,450-mile-long river, including how to share the pain of any future cuts as climate change continues to shrink its flows.
Colorado River Commissioner Becky Mitchell of Colorado said Monday that the four Upper Basin states are preparing for a March 11 target date to submit a plan to the Bureau of Reclamation.
