'Glimmer of hope' in Colorado River negotiations is now gone, researcher says

After a promising step in talks about the future of the Colorado River, the seven states that use its water appear to be hitting more hurdles. They’re arguing over exactly how much water each state will get from the shrinking river.

A few weeks ago, researcher John Fleck at the University of New Mexico said he saw a “glimmer of hope” in those negotiations. But now, that glimmer is gone. Fleck says states are falling back into rivalries that go back more than a century, and they’re afraid to make compromises. 

"This new method has a lot of promise, but as we work out the details, we're seeing that those old problems are surfacing again, and the negotiations as a result, just don't seem to be going as well as we had hoped they were," Fleck said.

"People across the basin are scared there's less water, and they are scared about the future of their communities, and they're afraid to engage in the sort of compromises that are going to be needed to share this river across seven Basin states," he added.

The Colorado River supplies water to about 40 million people across the Southwest. It’s getting smaller due to climate change. States have to agree on a new set of rules for sharing it before the current guidelines expire in 2026.