LAS VEGAS — In her remarks to the crowd on the final day of the Colorado River Water Users Association, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton appeared to urge states to return to the bargaining table.
"We all know that the Colorado River is more than just water. It's a lifeline," she said.
Touton, who will leave office with the change in presidential administrations, spoke with pride about accomplishments her agency made in combating drought and aridification in the western United States. She spoke about their many partners in the Upper and Lower Basin states.
"We do this work for the millions of people who rely on this resource. For the ecosystems of which we are stewards for future generations who will inherit a world that we are shaping today," she said. "Keep doing the hard work. Stay at the table. Listen to each other. Challenge one another, but push forward with courage together. The river demands nothing less than the best of us."
The agreements governing the Colorado River are set to expire in August of 2026 and the stakes have never been higher. There's less water because of drought, diversions and impacts from climate change and the river provides water for food and sustainability for 40 million people. The commissioners tasked by each state with negotiating new agreements have not met to try to reach a new deal while here in Las Vegas. Instead, they traded public jabs over who needs to make cuts.
The gist of the disagreements are this: Upper Basin states say the Lower Basin states must take less. The Lower Basin counters that has made significant conservation efforts and cuts should be system-wide. They accuse the Upper Basin of wanting to keep developing while demanding others cut. The Upper Basin responds that the hydrology of the river doesn't allow them to cut further and they're not even using what they're already entitled to.
But commissioners from both basins believe they can get back to talking.
"We’re going to get a deal done but I expect we’re going to be trading paint the whole way until the finish line," said John Entsminger, Nevada's commissioner for the Colorado River.
Becky Mitchell, Colorado's commissioner for the river, said she was willing to keep talking.
"The door is open. The door has been open. Phone lines ring both ways. We’re here for it," she said.
Gene Shawcroft, who is the Colorado River Commissioner for Utah, said he believed negotiations would resume soon.
"I'm convinced that we will have some discussions even the rest of this year and into next year," he said. "Time is short, I understand, but I haven’t ever witnessed anything on the Colorado River that didn’t get pushed to the eleventh hour."
Shawcroft told FOX 13 News it is possible they come to a short-term agreement that buys time for longer-term negotiations between the states.
"I think we have to keep talking and whether its a 20-year deal or 30-year deal, we still have to talk," he said.
The incoming Trump administration is not expected to significantly factor into the negotiations, commissioners said, noting that this is largely between states.
"If we're going to be leaders, we have to be steady regardless," Mitchell said. "We have to lead regardless of who the administration is and... my expectation is we will continue forward."
This article is published through the Colorado River Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative supported by the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air at Utah State University. See all of our stories about how Utahns are impacted by the Colorado River at greatsaltlakenews.org/coloradoriver
