(Ross D. Franklin | AP file photo) This Sept. 9, 2011 photo shows the dramatic bend in the Colorado River at the popular Horseshoe Bend in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Page, Ariz. Western U.S. states that have agreed to begin taking less water next month from the drought-stricken Colorado River got praise and a push in December 2019 from the nation's top water official. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman told federal, state and local water managers from seven states that the promises are crucial to ensuring that more painful cuts aren't required.