Abstract
When first researched in the summer of 2024, this article sought to examine the theoretical inability of Colorado River Basin States to negotiate a new water deal in the wake of the Federal Government’s proposed intervention in 2023. Since pre-publication, a new administration has taken aggressive hold of federal agencies, the Basin States have still not reached an agreement to divide Colorado River water, and as 2025 draws to a close, the state of Colorado is possibly facing its driest winter in history. This article seeks to do one thing: reintroduce interstate compacting as a tool to reduce friction in decision making between states over Colorado River resources. Through a survey of the current physical reality of the Colorado River, a catalogue of examples dealing with interstate compacting, and a draft proposal for a new system, this article hopes to chart a course forward in these stressed and uncomfortable times for the Colorado River Basin.
First Page
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Custom Citation
Zachary Alberts, The Old Flows with the New: Interstate Compacts as a Modern Mechanism for Water Governance on the Colorado River, 29 U. Denv. Water L. Rev. 1 (2026).