Leading the news: As the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for an area covering an area from Arizona to Wyoming, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation gave western states that rely on the Colorado River Basin for water supplies until Tuesday to describe how they plan to make cuts. Image: National Weather Service/Twitter Why it matters: If authorities in the affected states of California, Arizona and Nevada in the Lower Basin and Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah in the Upper Basin do not then reach their own agreement, the Interior Department will step in in.

Bureau of Reclamation chief Camille Calimlim Touton has warned that “immediate action” is needed to avoid a water crisis in the region next year.

Yes, but: Water cut negotiations between Lower Colorado River Basin authorities have yet to reach an agreement. Our Thought Bubble: The Southwest continues to benefit from an active monsoon season, which is helping ease near-term drought conditions in New Mexico, parts of Nevada and southern Colorado.

However, it does not make a dent nor is it expected to, in the long term, historic drought and water woes in the Colorado River Basin.

Context: The Southwest is mired in its worst drought in at least 1,200 years, which studies have largely linked to global warming. By the numbers: Between 2 million acre feet and 4 million acre feet of additional conservation is needed just to protect critical levels in 2023, according to Touton.

Officials believe up to a third of the Colorado River’s flows need to be conserved urgently to prevent a crisis in Lake Powell, according to Politico.

Threat Level: “The Colorado River Basin is in its 23rd year of historic drought. Both Lake Powell and Lake Mead – the two largest reservoirs in the United States – are at historic lows with a combined storage capacity of 28% of capacity.” Touton said at a US Senate hearing in June. The bottom line: “While Reclamation and its partners have been successful in conserving water in the Lake Mead and Colorado River System reservoirs, more needs to be done as the system reaches extremely low water levels,” Touton told senators. “The system is at a tipping point.” Go Deeper: Colorado River Ranked ‘Most Endangered’ in Nation