February 13, 2026
Leadership is Needed Now to Confront the West’s Water Crisis
Colorado River Basin — We are alarmed that, after two years of negotiations, the seven states that share the Colorado River failed to reach an agreement over how to manage its dwindling water supplies.
The Basin is in the midst of one of the driest winters in decades, reservoirs are at historic lows, and the guidelines for managing the river are expiring. We cannot delay any longer.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has historically counted on the Basin states to take a leadership role in the river’s management. But the states have failed to act on multiple occasions — emerging empty-handed from countless meetings, missing a November 2025 deadline to reach consensus, and now failing to meet the latest February 14 due date. This has left our communities without a clear plan for the future.
The science is clear – the Colorado River is shrinking. A workable deal must confront reality and ramp up water conservation in every state in the Basin. But some states are not taking the steps necessary to fix the problem. It's time to stop arguing and start implementing solutions.
The Basin states have increasingly indicated an openness to pursuing litigation over the river. Litigation is a failure, not a solution. It will take more than a decade to resolve, and the river and our communities cannot wait that long. The ensuing legal battles would cost millions in taxpayer dollars — money that would be better spent incentivizing water conservation and restoring our watersheds. It ultimately ends with the river’s future being determined by Supreme Court judges, not by the communities that share the river and know it best.
Federal leadership is essential in the absence of state consensus. The states must support Reclamation in advancing management guidelines that are proactive, incorporate flexible water conservation tools, ramp up water conservation efforts across the Basin, and account for current river conditions.
WRA experts are available to comment.
Contact: Caitlin Weber, 505-372-4937, caitlin.weber@westernresources.org
