Colorado River Basin States Miss Deadline for New Water Management Plan

On November 12, 2025, state negotiators embroiled in an impasse over the Colorado River were unable to agree on a plan before a federally set deadline, thrusting deliberations deeper into uncertain territory. Stakeholders had spent months working to iron out contentious disagreements over how to distribute water from this sprawling basin, which supplies roughly 40 million people in seven states, 5.5 million acres of farmland, dozens of tribes, and parts of Mexico, as the resources grow increasingly scarce.

Long-term overuse and the rising toll from the climate crisis have served as a one-two punch that has left the system in crisis. While enough progress was made to warrant an extension, the discussions and the deadline were set to an urgent timeline, as current guidelines are expiring and a new finalized agreement must be put in place by October 2026, the start of the 2027 water year.

With time running short to schedule the steps required to implement a plan, including public engagement and environmental analysis, experts warn that if negotiators are unable to create a plan, the federal government may step in, which could lead to litigation and more delays. The urgency for the seven Colorado River Basin states to reach a consensus agreement has never been clearer, as the health of the Colorado River system and the livelihoods that depend on it are relying on their ability to collaborate effectively and craft forward-thinking solutions.