Annie Knox

(Utah News Dispatch) A fight over which states along the Colorado River have to cut their water use may still be damming up negotiations like the towering concrete of Lake Powell.

But time is running out. Utah and six other states are days away from their Nov. 11 deadline to reach a deal on how to manage the dwindling river and its reservoirs. If they don’t, the federal government has said it will decide for them. The existing agreement expires at the end of 2026.

Here are five things to know as the due date approaches:

Talks are tense

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs gave a glimpse into negotiations when she called out the upstream states this week, saying they’re taking an “extreme negotiating position” and refusing to commit to water cuts.

The Upper Basin states of Utah

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