By Jeniffer Solis, Nevada Current
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has invited all seven Colorado River Basin governors and their negotiators to meet in Washington D.C. next Friday as states approach a federal deadline to reach a voluntary agreement to replace river operating guidelines.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo and the state’s top river negotiator, Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager John Enstminger, are planning to attend the meeting, according to a spokesperson for Enstminger.
The Bureau of Reclamation – which manages water in the West under the Interior Department – initially gave states until Nov. 11 to submit a preliminary agreement for a plan that could replace the river’s operating guidelines set to expire at the end of 2026.
But after states missed the deadline, the Bureau extended the deadline to submit a seven-state agreement for post-2026 operations to Valentine’s Day.
A similar meeting of governors to discuss the status of negotiations was planned for December, but was cancelled due to scheduling challenges. River negotiators for Utah and New Mexico said they could not accept the December invitation because their state governors had prior commitments that could not be moved.
Lombardo responded by sending a letter to Burgum affirming Nevada’s commitment to achieving a seven-state agreement, and requesting that the meeting be rescheduled for early January.
As of Thursday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs also planned to attend the new meeting next week, reported Fox 13 in Salt Lake City.
Negotiators for the seven states that share the Colorado River also met in Salt Lake City last week for a two-and-a-half day meeting, according to the Utah News Dispatch.
Utah’s chief negotiator Gene Shawcroft said they made little progress on a deal, but were committed to continuing negotiations and meeting their upcoming Feb. 14 deadline.
Current negotiations are largely focused on operational terms for an initial five-year period after 2026, with longer-term provisions to be addressed if a seven-state agreement can be reached on the near-term framework.
One of the biggest disagreements between the Lower Basin states — Nevada, Arizona, and California — and Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming — is over which faction should have to cut back on their water use, and by how much.
Lower Basin states want all seven Colorado River states to share mandatory water cuts during dry years under the new guidelines. The Upper Basin, which is not subject to mandatory cuts under the current guidelines, say they already use much less water than downstream states and should not face additional cuts during shortages.
State negotiators for both the Upper and Lower Basin have said they would prefer a seven-state agreement than the alternative river management options proposed by the federal government.
The Bureau of Reclamation will still need to go through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process so they can assess the environmental impact of the plan before issuing a final decision on new guidelines for the river’s management.
A final environmental review is expected in summer 2026 and will include either a seven-state consensus agreement or a federal alternative in its place. A final decision must be completed by no later than September 2026, to guide operations at Lake Powell beginning October 1, 2026, and at Lake Mead beginning January 1, 2027.
Nevada Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nevada Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Hugh Jackson for questions: info@nevadacurrent.com.
