The seven states connected to the Colorado River, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming are at odds with their Lower Basin neighbors, Arizona, California, and Nevada, due to current guidelines over how to divide water resources in dry years. The states have been stuck in a stalemate over water cuts for over two years, with the Upper Basin states using less water than they are entitled to. The issue stems from the original 1922 compact, which allocated each basin 7.5 million acre-feet of water. California had the highest apportionment of water of roughly 4.4 million acres-feet, while Arizona and Nevada had the lowest. The urgency for a deal is greater amid record-breaking heatwave and generational drought across the Mountain West.