Colorado River: Water talks continue as Valentine's Day deadline approaches

PHOENIX - A week ago, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs met with the leaders of six states in Washington, D.C. to discuss how the Colorado River will be rationed.

The states are up against a fast-approaching deadline, as the federal government told them they need to come to an agreement by Valentine’s Day. While that is something the governor said is not going to happen, the meeting, which came after months of negotiations, left Gov. Hobbs confident that Arizona will get its fair share.

"Certainly for me, as the governor with the most skin in the game or water on the table, I felt more heard by the upper basin than we’ve seen in the negotiations so far," Hobbs said.

Big picture view:

The dispute is over a shrinking supply of water from Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which are being drained faster than rain is refilling them.

Lower basin states have already taken mandatory cuts, which was about 18% for Arizona. Cuts, however, are not mandatory for upper basin states, and Gov. Hobbs hopes to spread the cuts across all seven states so there’s enough water to go around.

"I’ve been really clear that Arizona isn’t willing to go further than the 27 percent of our water that’s on the table without some meaningful, measurable, mandatory reductions from the upper basin," Gov. Hobbs said.

During the meeting, Gov. Hobbs said Upper Basin governors showed a willingness to compromise. Their change in attitude was likely motivated by the presence of the federal government, which will have to intervene if the states can’t come to an agreement soon. Gov. Hobbs warns if that happens, Arizona most likely will be the most hurt.

"It’s not just important to us as a state, but the semiconductor industry that is fueled by the Colorado River is important to national security and important to the president’s agenda," Hobbs said. "And so I think that has been made clear, and we’ll continue to push to make sure we get our fair share."

What's next:

The absolute deadline for a deal is October 1.

If a deal is not made by then, the feds will step in, and that will likely trigger lawsuits between the states that could last for decades while the water supply continues to dwindle.