Negotiators for the seven states that share the shrinking Colorado River met in Salt Lake City but could not agree on a deal to split up the water, Arizona’s lead negotiator said.

The states are approaching the point where federal Interior Department officials may impose their own plan for mandated cuts that could fall especially hard on Arizona, potentially triggering lawsuits. Talks that ran through most of the week don’t seem to have improved the outlook for a water pact.

“I didn’t see enough progress,” Arizona Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke said on Friday, Jan. 16, “or any major progress” suggesting a deal is imminent.