How Failing Negotiations Could Spiral Into a Bitter Fight Over the Colorado River

With the leaders of seven states deadlocked over the Colorado River’s deepening crisis, negotiations increasingly seem likely to fail — which could lead the federal government to impose unilateral cuts and spark lawsuits that would bring a complex court battle.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has urged negotiators for the states to reach a deal by Feb. 14, but substantial disagreements remain. A failure to reach a consensus could result in cuts in water deliveries to California by as much as a third, and by perhaps twice that for Arizona and Nevada — much larger reductions than the states have offered as part of the negotiations.