SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Spencer Cox said Utah and the six other Colorado River Basin states aren't done negotiating a new plan for management of the nation's two largest reservoirs along the river.
However, he confirmed that they're still no closer to a concession agreement on a post-2026 operations plan for Lake Powell and Lake Mead despite months of discussions.
"We didn't reach an agreement in this round of negotiations, but we're not done. A solution is still within reach," he said in a statement on Friday. "I'm grateful for the states leaning in, thinking big, and working toward real progress."
Gene Shawcroft, chairman of the Colorado River Authority of Utah, remains hopeful that a long-term agreement can be reached in the coming months, but the Upper Basin states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming are also shifting their attention to Lake Powell's situation now.
Record-low snowpack in the region has created bleak outlooks for what the reservoir will receive this year.
"We have lost 1.5 million acre-feet of forecasted flow into Lake Powell over the last month, setting us up for one of the lowest inflow years in recent record," he told reporters on Friday. "Just today, the federal government released an even grimmer projection showing the possibility that by December 2026, the reservoir could fall to levels that would threaten critical infrastructure and prevent power production."
This story will be updated.
