Colorado River Negotiations: Background and Trigger Moment

The Colorado River provides water to about 40 million people in seven U.S. states, 30 Native American tribes, and northern Mexico. But because of climate change, the river has become significantly drier in recent decades.

On today’s episode of The Negotiators, we hear how the U.S. states and Native American tribes reached a historic agreement in May to reduce water consumption by 13 percent—after an excruciating negotiation. This is Part 2 in our look at negotiations over the Colorado River. Reporter Luke Runyon, who covered the talks for NPR member station KUNC, is our guest on the show. He also hosts Thirst Gap, a podcast about the Colorado River.

Runyon interviewed some of the key negotiators for our podcast. He shares his insights with host Jenn Williams. 

The Negotiators is a collaboration between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.