As a federally imposed deadline for a Colorado River agreement came and went without a deal, Governor Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Legislature called for the federal government to intervene.

Hobbs and the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Legislature blamed Colorado and the other Upper Basin states for the impasse.

They sent a joint letter Tuesday to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, asking him to ensure Arizona receives its share of Colorado River water and sharply criticizing the Upper Basin states for their refusal to share in water cuts.

The current agreement over how to divide water from the rapidly declining river expires at the end of next year, and the seven states in the Colorado River Basin have been negotiating since 2023 on a new compact.

Colorado River water makes up a

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