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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Gabrielle Canon

Western US states fail to negotiate crucial Colorado River deal: ‘Mother nature isn’t going to bail us out’

a boat in body of water under a blue sky
The Colorado River seen near Boulder, Nevada. The vital river has also been overdrawn for more than a century, and is facing new pressures from the climate crisis. Photograph: Étienne Laurent/EPA

The future of the American west hung in the balance after seven states remained at a stalemate over who should bear the brunt of the enormous water cuts needed to pull the imperiled Colorado River back from the brink.

Negotiators, who have spent years trying to iron out thorny disagreements, ended their talks on Friday without a deal – one day before a critical deadline to form a plan that had been set for Saturday.

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