LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Another federal deadline is set to pass without a new Colorado River agreement, and Nevada leaders are bracing for additional water cuts.
Governor Joe Lombardo released a joint statement Friday morning alongside Governor Gavin Newsom of California and Governor Katie Hobbs of Arizona. The statement confirmed the lack of an agreement and presented the Lower Basin states’ perspective on the negotiations.
The three governors said the stakes are high for each of their states, which represent 75% of the population, employment, and agricultural crop sales of the Colorado River. They add that this also includes 25 of the 30 sovereign Tribal Nations that live within the Basin.
“The Colorado River is essential to our communities and economies, and our states have conserved large volumes of water in recent years to stabilize the basin’s water supplies for years to come,” the statement reads.
The governors each have agreed to new allocation reductions to “secure a seven-state agreement for post-2026 management of the river,” according to the statement. “Arizona has offered to reduce its Colorado River allocation by 27%, California by 10%, and Nevada by nearly 17%.”
The statement continues, “Our stance remains firm and fair: all seven basin states must share in the responsibility of conservation. Our shared success hinges on compromise, and we have offered significant flexibility, allowing states without robust conservation programs time to gradually develop these programs in ways that work in each state.”
The governors said future management of the Colorado River must be built on shared contribution and innovation, with all river water users working to conserve as much as they can. The trio adds that their commitment to a “collaborative outcome” is unwavering, and they will continue to pursue a resolution to protect their water users.
However, John Entsminger, Southern Nevada Water Authority general manager and Nevada’s lead Colorado River negotiator, expressed frustration with the failed negotiations in a separate statement Friday.
“The seven Colorado River Basin states have failed to reach an agreement to collectively protect our respective communities and economies in the face of almost certain reductions to our use of the river,” Entsminger said. “As I talk with people throughout Southern Nevada, I hear their frustration that years of negotiations have yielded almost no headway in finding a path through these turbulent waters.”
Entsminger said Nevada receives only 1.8% of the river’s flows and cannot solve the Colorado River’s problems alone. He said every sector of Nevada’s community has made investments and sacrifices to prepare for potential curtailment of the state’s water supply.
“The hard truth is that Nevada cannot solve the Colorado River’s problems on our own,” Entsminger said. “The result of our collective efforts is a sizable water ‘savings account’ that can help us weather the reductions.”
Entsminger said that with the states’ refusal to compromise, the severity of water reductions will likely be decided by federal government officials or judges. He said Nevada is prepared to fight for its water supply if necessary.
“While I will continue to work with my Colorado River counterparts in hopes of finding a workable solution to this crisis, we must also prepare to fight for our water supply if it comes to that,” Entsminger said. “As the Battle Born state’s representatives on the Colorado River, Governor Lombardo and I are prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect Nevada’s residents.”
The current Colorado River operating guidelines expire at the end of 2026. The seven states that share the Colorado River are Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Utah. The Bureau of Reclamation established a target date of Feb. 14 to reach a consensus-based agreement, but the states will continue negotiations.
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