It鈥檚 the holiday season, and for some of us, that can mean uncomfortable reunions and disagreements with family members. This week, there鈥檚 a family reunion of sorts in Las Vegas as the states that use the Colorado River get together in the middle of tense talks about how to share the shrinking water supply.
Instead of Christmas dinner, this reunion is the annual meeting of the Colorado River Water Users Association. Farmers, tribal leaders, city utility managers, environmentalists, scientists, journalists, and a host of other people will pack into a hotel ballroom at the Paris Hotel.
Amid the roughly 1,500 people in attendance, the spotlight will be on seven. They鈥檙e the top water negotiators from the states that share the Colorado River.
At this Las Vegas family reunion, those states are the kids coming home for the holidays. They used to get along a little better in the good times when the river and its reservoirs were full of water. But now, times are tight. Climate change is sapping the river of its water, and there鈥檚 less to go around.
鈥淭he kids are fighting and it鈥檚 really sad to watch,鈥� said John Fleck, a professor who teaches water policy and governance at the University of New Mexico.
Those kids are split into two groups. Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico make up the Upper Basin. California, Arizona and Nevada represent the Lower Basin. The current rules for sharing water expire in 2026, and each group has submitted a separate proposal for new guidelines after that point.
Since the day those proposals were released, they鈥檝e occasionally needled each other with criticism.
鈥淲e must plan for the river we have, not the river we dream for,鈥� said Becky Mitchell, Colorado鈥檚 top negotiator.
鈥淎rguing legal interpretations until we鈥檙e all blue in the face doesn鈥檛 do anything to proactively respond to climate change,鈥� said JB Hamby, California鈥檚 top water official.
In November, Tom Buschatzke, Arizona鈥檚 delegate, described it plainly.
鈥淭his is a visceral issue between the states,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is a giant chasm.鈥�
If the states are the kids at this reunion, then the federal government is the parental authority. They鈥檝e asked the kids to make nice and agree on new guidelines for sharing the river. With that 2026 deadline getting closer and the water supply getting smaller, things are getting snappy.
鈥�These kids used to get along so well and have fun together,鈥� Fleck said. 鈥淎nd now they just can't seem to agree on how to share the family's bounty.鈥�
Fleck explains it like this: When the nation鈥檚 largest reservoirs 鈥� Lake Powell and Lake Mead 鈥� were full in the early 2000s, that was like a big inheritance from the grandparents. But that money stopped coming in, the inheritance is drying up, and when the kids get together this year, they鈥檒l be pointing fingers about each others鈥� spending habits.
In recent iterations of this conference, put on by the Colorado River Water Users Association, state leaders have appeared on one panel together. This year, they鈥檒l be separated into their respective basins.
鈥淭he organizers of CRWUA clearly know that the kids are not getting along, and it's best not to put them all at the same table for the meal,鈥� Fleck said. 鈥淭hat's not a good sign.鈥�
Throughout the year, those kids meet behind closed doors, but the annual event in Las Vegas offers the public a rare glimpse into those discussions. Joanna Allhands, an opinion writer at the Arizona Republic, said she expects the tone to be 鈥渃ordial, but icy.鈥�
Allhands suggested a way to help break through that iciness 鈥� an adult in the room. Historically, the federal government leaves the particulars of water-sharing deals up to the states. Now, she said, they need to be more direct.
鈥淚f you're a parent,鈥� she said, 鈥淵ou know sometimes you鈥檝e got to go in there and tell your kid in no uncertain terms, 鈥業 expect this from you at this time, please make sure you do it.鈥� That's what they need to do.鈥�
While policy experts and activists close to river negotiations have strong feelings about how those talks should go, they rarely express those opinions publicly or with a great deal of frankness. That means there probably won鈥檛 be much sharp criticism of ongoing negotiations in Las Vegas.
At the family dinner, everyone has a stake and doesn鈥檛 want to stir the pot in this family fight.
鈥淎 lot of people don't really understand the wonkiness of water,鈥� said Andrew Curley, a professor at the University of Arizona, 鈥淎nd those who understand it seem to be the most self-interested in keeping it the way it is.鈥�
Curley, who is a member of the Navajo Nation, and teaches about indigenous communities and natural resources, said there are some members of the Colorado River family who have spent most of their time shut out of the big reunions, even in the good times. The Colorado River basin is home to 30 native tribes, and they鈥檙e only starting to get invited to be part of talks about how it gets shared.
鈥�They're at the table 100 years too late,鈥� Curley said. 鈥淭hey were not at the table in the most consequential meetings and discussions.鈥�
Advocates for tribes and the environment worry that their priorities will get pushed to the back burner if the kids can鈥檛 get along.
鈥淚 find it really frustrating to watch them just continue to bicker back and forth rather than coming up with any realistic solutions for the problems that we're facing,鈥� said Teal Lehto, an environmental activist who goes by WesternWaterGirl on social media.
Lehto said she hopes the bickering kids can settle their differences, so the water users who aren鈥檛 part of the conversation don鈥檛 get left behind.
鈥�More voices need to be brought to the table to come up with creative solutions,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ecause we need to be securing a water future for multiple generations, not just this one.鈥�
The states aren鈥檛 expected to come out of the meetings with any new deals, but the clock keeps ticking for them to set aside their differences and agree on how to share the shrinking family fortune.
This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Colorado River, produced by KUNC in Colorado and supported by the Walton Family Foundation. KUNC is solely responsible for its editorial coverage.
