Now, in a recent study published in Geology, retired University of New Mexico geologist Karl Karlstrom and his colleagues conclude that the asteroid's impact shook Marble Canyon hard enough to dislodge great chunks of stone and send a landslide tumbling into the river. The debris formed a natural dam that backed up the Colorado for over 50 miles to near present-day Lees Ferry.
With Western states deadlocked in negotiations over how to cut water use along the Colorado River, the Trump administration has called in the governors of seven states to Washington to try to hash out a consensus. The governors of at least four - Utah, Arizona, Nevada and Wyoming - say they'll attend the meeting next week led by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, but California Gov. Gavin Newsom won't.
They said these "dirt-cheap" prices cost taxpayers, add to the strains on scarce water, and discourage conservation - even as the Colorado River's depleted reservoirs continue to decline. "Federal taxpayers have been subsidizing effectively free water for a very, very long time," said Noah Garrison, a researcher at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. "We can't address the growing water scarcity in the West while we continue to give that water away for free or close to it."
On the day of a Nov. 11 federal deadline for states to submit a water management plan for the Colorado River, negotiations remain deadlocked. Without agreement, it is unclear how a water supply that millions depend on will be managed after the fall of 2026. With hours left, a deal seems increasingly unlikely - raising the possibility of the federal government stepping in with its own plan, or that states will resort to litigation.
Alfalfa and other types of hay are used to feed cattle and other livestock, and in recent years they have been exported in growing quantities to China, Saudi Arabia and other countries.
