Zeus: Missed Colorado water deadline could lead to Trump ruling

Seven states that share water from the Colorado River have until the end of the year to reach a deal.

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The Colorado River basin is shrinking under a megadrought. Its major reservoirs, Lake Powell (above) and Lake Mead, are each barely a third full.

The seven Western U.S states who share water from the rapidly shrinking Colorado River face a decision from the White House on how to slash their shares if they can’t agree among themselves by the end of the year.

California, Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona missed a key deadline last week and must find a way to offer permanent voluntary cuts before a standing agreement for equal sharing expires in January.

If not, the decision on how to allocate water to some 40 million people, including Native American tribes and crop farmers throughout the West, will go to the president, and then most likely to the Supreme Court.