As Colorado River states await water cuts, they struggle to find agreement on longer-term plans

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is expected to announce water cuts soon that would affect some of the 40 million people reliant on the Colorado River. The cuts are expected from the Interior Department, which announces water availability for the coming year months in advance so Western cities, farmers and others can plan. Behind the scenes, more elusive plans are being hashed out. They include how the basin will share water from the diminishing river after 2026, when the current set of guidelines that govern it expire. Years of overuse combined with rising temperatures and drought have meant less water flows in the Colorado today than in decades past.