States miss Colorado River water-sharing deadline; uncertainty grows

Water experts concerned as Colorado River deal talks stall

Water experts are expressing growing concern after seven states, including Arizona, missed a key deadline this week to negotiate a new agreement for apportioning Colorado River water. FOX 10's Megan Spector reports.

PHOENIX - Water experts are expressing growing concern after seven states, including Arizona, missed a key deadline this week to negotiate a new agreement for apportioning Colorado River water.

What we know:

The deadline, set for Tuesday, Nov. 11, passed without a deal, leaving the future management of the crucial resource uncertain as the current agreement expires at the end of 2026.

"The hope was that the seven basin states that helped govern the operations of the Colorado River would come up with a plan for how we're going to operate the river after 2026. That didn't happen," said Cynthia Campbell, director of policy innovation for the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative.

The negotiations were reportedly delayed by disputes over sharing water cuts between the Upper and Lower Basin states. Arizonans could directly feel the consequences of a continued shortage.

"In Arizona, there are hundreds of thousands of people in the major population centers in Phoenix and Tucson that rely upon Colorado River for their drinking water," Campbell said. "To see that shortage in a significant way puts the cities who regulate and who deliver that water to customers in a very difficult position to try to find replacement supplies or to ask people to cut back."

Dig deeper:

Sarah Porter, director of ASU's Kyl Center for Water Policy, echoed the concern that cities will need to invest in new supplies, leading to "higher rates for water" in the long term.

Experts fear the lack of an agreement only increases future challenges. "Not having any certainty or not knowing what we're facing, the utilities that provide water to people who live in central Arizona are really at a loss for how to prepare for what's coming," Campbell said. "They don't know what level of shortage they're facing, so they don't know how much replacement supplies they have to get. And replacing water in Arizona is no easy feat."

Since the Tuesday deadline was missed, a new target date of Feb. 14 has reportedly been set for the states to reach an agreement. If they fail, the federal government is expected to step in and impose its own plan.