The Latest Breaking News from Tommy Beaudreau

Depending on the plan, either California would be the most affected, or Arizona and Nevada would be parched

LOS ANGELES — The federal government on Tuesday laid out two options for preventing the Colorado River’s depleted reservoirs from falling to critically low levels, saying it could either impose cuts across the Southwest by following the water-rights priority system or by using an across-the-board percentage.

LAS VEGAS — With Colorado River reservoirs nearing dangerously low levels, the federal government has given basin states a Jan. 31 deadline to negotiate major water cuts and stave off a possible collapse in supplies.

The word “crisis” ended a Colorado River conference that drew representatives from Southwest U.S. states, tribes and Mexico to Las Vegas this week

DENVER — With the Rocky Mountains in the background — and the anniversary of the record-setting destruction from the Marshall fire looming over the event — the No. 2 official with the U.S. Department of Interior announced Wednesday a national $228 million program to fight and recover from wildfires.