LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Two factions of states are in a disagreement over who gets how much water from the Colorado River after legislation expires in 2026.
On Thursday, they gathered in a resort conference center to try to get closer to a deal.
It wasn’t pretty.
Representatives from the lower basin states, such as California’s Colorado River Commissioner JB Hamby, said the upper basin didn’t make proper conservation efforts.
“There’s no difference in size between the lower basin and the upper basin’s water use. What the difference is, is a willingness to actually conserve water, not put more to use, and further drain the river,” Hamby said.
Upper basin state representatives such as Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart — are not interested in trading blows with the other states.
“The rhetoric, the saber-rattling, and other distractions going on are bull****,” he said. “It needs to stop.”
Both sides of the Colorado River basin shared their perspectives on getting a deal done. On one side — the lower basin states, citing decades of their own water conservation, want the upper states to cut their use. On the other — the upper basin states say there isn’t enough water left to be able to cut.
Upper basin state commissioners told 8 News Now they were expecting a formal meeting with the lower basin states, but they didn’t come to the table.
“Frankly, I came here thinking we had a meeting. It didn’t materialize,” Estevan Lopez, Upper Colorado River Compact Commissioner for New Mexico said.
Tense negotiations are common when it comes to the Colorado River.
“We’ve always been on the brink of negotiations breaking down right up until we get a deal done. That’s the last 25 years of this river. So I’m optimistic we will get a deal done. But we’re not particularly close to that,” John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority said.
The feeling is mutual for upper basin states.
“What I would hope is that we could come to an agreement about how to do this. It’s going to be painful for all of us. That can’t be the reason we don’t talk,” Lopez said.
