New plan for Colorado River is still murky as states pass by early deadline

NOTE: This article is published through the Colorado River Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative supported by the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air at Utah State University. See all of our stories about how Utahns are impacted by the Colorado River at greatsaltlakenews.org/coloradoriver

Utahns hoping for clarity on the government’s next move to keep the Colorado River from drying up and still supply plenty of water to the state will have to wait.

Utah and six other states along the parched river haven’t reached a deal on how they’ll share the water supply a year from now, but they agree enough to keep talking. That progress means they don’t have to turn the job over to the federal government yet, Utah’s negotiator said Wednesday.

A century-old compact go