Colorado River Basin

After years of stalled negotiations, the Department of the Interior releases final Environmental Impact Statement, covering 10 years of future management for seven states.

Federal wildlife officials downlisted the razorback sucker from "endangered" to "threatened," saying populations had bounced back. Environmentalists argue those populations aren't yet self-sustaining.

Millions of Coloradans remain under strict water restrictions because of historic drought. Failing to conserve could mean empty reservoirs and even harsher restrictions.

Upper Basin states like Utah worry water could get leased to cities downstream. Tribe members say they want to access a resource that is rightfully theirs.

Some worry the proposal would put states in continual negotiations, which historically have been unproductive. However, it could be a step towards a longer-term plan.

The seven Western states have only five months until the current agreements expire. A warm winter with low snowpack has also made water supply forecasts more dire.

Widespread drought and fears of a power crisis forced the Interior Department to start sending billions of gallons of water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Colorado downstream to prop up Lake Powell.

Just 1.4 million acre feet of Colorado River water is expected to reach Lake Powell through July. That's less than a quarter of what's considered normal.

Winter snow has been a no-show in Utah and much of the West this season. That lack of snowpack could increase the cost of growing hay, which in turn could raise prices for local dairy farmers.

Negotiators are approaching a Feb. 14 deadline to make an agreement on how to manage the dwindling waterway. Friday's meeting didn't complete that goal, but governors called the gathering productive.