After two fraught years of negotiations amid for the Colorado River’s reservoirs, California and six other states that rely on the river’s water have yet again failed to reach a deal — despite a federal deadline.

“While more work needs to be done, collective progress has been made that warrants continued efforts to define and approve details for a finalized agreement,” the states said. The written statement released Tuesday included no details about how they plan to manage the river after the current rulebook expires at the end of next year.

Officials at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the federal stewards for the river under the Department of the Interior, in the absence of a deal.

“Two years. And the lack of progress, in light of how perilous the conditions are on the Colorado — it’s

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