When In Drought: States Take On Urgent Negotiations To Avoid Colorado River Crisis
After years of sustained drought, water managers along the Colorado River system are renegotiating water cutbacks to seven Western states, hoping to avoid more drastic shortages in the future.
In 2007, years into a record-breaking drought throughout the southwestern U.S., officials along the Colorado River finally came to an agreement on how they'd deal with future water shortages â and then quietly hoped that wet weather would return.
But it didn't.
Those states are now back at the negotiating table to hammer out new deals to avoid a slow-moving crisis on the river system that supports 40 million people in seven Western states.
The extent of the problem can be seen in a place like Page, Ariz., on the southern edge of Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the country.
Jennifer Pitt, who works on Colorado River policy for the National Audubon Society, is
