Alex Hager

The proposal would need to be approved by the federal government before it's official.

State leaders said this plan is just a bridge until 2028.

Now they're calling on other states, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico, to rejoin talks about a long-term plan for sharing the shrinking water supply.

For NPR News, I'm Alex Hager in Phoenix.

The plan, which was co-signed by Arizona, California, and Nevada, would cut back on the amount of water sent to those states, with Arizona taking the biggest reductions.

They'd leave that water in Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir.

It's designed to steer the states away from big lawsuits about sharing water.

Stalled negotiations had left them on course for a legal battle as reservoirs dropped lower.

The proposal would need to be approved by the federal government before it's official.

State leaders said this plan is just a bridge until 2028.

Now they're calling on other states, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico, to rejoin talks about a long-term plan for sharing the shrinking water supply.

For NPR News, I'm Alex Hager in Phoenix.

The states haven't met for negotiations in over two months.

If they can't reach a deal for sharing the shrinking water supply, the federal government will likely force big, unpopular cutbacks that could trigger lawsuits.

Now, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico are calling for a mediator to join those talks and help states lay down their swords.

Becky Mitchell represents Colorado.

It's not clear exactly who would mediate the talks.

Colorado's Mitchell says it should be a decision among all seven states that use the river's water.

For NPR News, I'm Alex Hager in Phoenix.

The states haven't met for negotiations in over two months.