OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The three states crossed by the Republican River have agreed on a new approach to managing water in the disputed basin.

Officials in Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas say the agreements on how the river’s water will be managed this year and next year show they are taking a more cooperative approach.

In the past, disputes over the 1943 compact that spells out how much water each state is entitled to have wound up in the U.S. Supreme Court numerous times.

The new agreements will allow some of the water owed to Kansas farmers this year to be kept in the Harlan County Reservoir in Nebraska until Kansas officials request it.

Previously, the water would have been released this fall when farmers couldn’t use it.