Nearly 40 million people depend on the Colorado River for their water supply. Last week, a group of stakeholders gathered in Las Vegas for the Colorado River Water Users Association conference to discuss major issues when it comes to sharing and regulating usage.

This year, one topic was the recently-completed drought contingency plan, which has been the focus of negotiations for the last five years. The plan is designed to keep water levels in the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs from dropping rapidly.