Why federal officials are taking a new approach to distributing water from the drought-stricken Colorado River

A few years back, federal regulators gave an ultimatum to negotiators from the seven states that rely on Colorado River water. It boiled down to find a path forward, or we'll figure one out for you. It was a big ask. The agreement over how to share river water was a century old and overdue for an update. Severe drought strained the river and its reservoirs. Cities in the region, from Denver to Los Angeles, had grown dramatically over the decades.   So negotiators from various states talked for years without agreeing how to divvy up the river going forward. And now federal officials are moving forward with their vow to take control. Last week at a conference in Boulder they announced they plan to call the shots for the next decade.  So, with reservoirs in the Colorado River basin at alarmingly low levels, will this new arrangement help or create more disagreements? And will this be a turning point for the river? Alex Hager has covered the Colorado River for KUNC News as well as KJZZ, who are our partners in the Mountain West News Bureau. He spoke with In The NoCo’s Brad Turner about what the decision means for the 40 million people across the Southwest who rely on the river.