California, Nevada, Arizona announce temporary plan to save water from Colorado River
LOS ANGELES– In the absence of a longer-term agreement on how to share a critical but dwindling water source in the western United States, three states announced they would slash spending to feed reservoirs under a short-term deal after the driest winter on record.
Arizona, California and Nevada this month announced a plan to save up to 1 million acre-feet (44 billion cubic feet) of Colorado River water through 2028. That’s in addition to reductions already announced by the three states and Mexico, bringing the total proposed savings to 3.2 million acre-feet (139 billion cubic feet), or about enough water to serve more than 25 million people per year.
“We’re facing sort of a crisis situation created by last winter,” Tom Buschatzke, Arizona’s lead negotiator, said earlier this week. “We need to do everything we can, and that’s what our plan does, to find a short-term solution.”
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has already announced it will release more water and earlier than usual into severely depleted Lake Powell, one of the river’s and nation’s two largest reservoirs, to maintain its hydroelectric power.
The plan in Arizona, California and Nevada must be approved by federal officials and state lawmakers. Still, states called it ambitious and far-reaching, with benefits for the entire river basin.
The river supports 40 million people in seven American states, two Mexican states and Native American tribes. Farmers also depend on it to irrigate millions of acres. And some 155 utilities rely on it for their hydroelectricity production.
Some of the rules that govern the water-sharing agreement expire this year, but negotiations have mostly broken down between the states. About four months have passed since they had substantive discussions. The upper river basin states – Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico – suggested a mediator was needed. Meanwhile, the Reclamation Bureau is moving forward with a plan in case states don’t reach consensus in time.
Kevin Moran of the Environmental Defense Fund said he hoped the water reduction pledge would serve as a catalyst for a collaborative solution among states.
“The Colorado River is flowing,” he said. “We are in the eleventh hour where we need strong, collaborative solutions to protect the health of the river.”
Nevada, Arizona, and California make up the lower river basin. Under their proposal, Nevada and Arizona would take about a third less water than they are entitled to each year from Lake Mead along the state line. California, which has the largest and oldest water rights, would reduce its use by about 13 percent.
How these reductions will play out has not yet been determined, but states say they will arrive by August.
The Central Arizona Project manages much of Arizona’s share that is delivered via a 336-mile (540-kilometer) canal system to 6 million people in central and southern Arizona. It also has a priority system. Farmers, cities, tribes and industry could be affected.
Most of the river’s water is used for agriculture. This is evident in the Imperial Irrigation District, the largest user of the river’s water, where most of the country’s winter vegetables are grown.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water to 19 million people, relies on the river for about 20 percent of its supply. Reducing reliance on the Colorado River will prevent worse situations, board member Mark Gold said, but there is still a risk.
The Lower Basin plan also depends on state and federal funding. Water-saving measures might include farmers letting their fields dry or replacing thirsty crops like alfalfa with drought-tolerant crops.
In cities, reduced supply could contribute to higher water bills for residents and businesses, Gold said.
Chronic overexploitation, drought and rising temperatures linked to climate change mean there is less water in the river than was distributed among the states more than 100 years ago.
Lakes Powell and Mead, reservoirs that are key indicators of the river’s health, are not healthy. Both have declined over time. If they fall below certain levels, it means hydroelectric production stops and water cannot be delivered to downstream users.
The Bureau of Reclamation recently announced plans to release up to a third of the water in Flaming Gorge Reservoir upstream of Lake Powell to ensure this doesn’t happen. Hydroelectricity from Glen Canyon Dam that impounds Lake Powell serves more than 350,000 homes.
Reclamation officials said they were reviewing the Lower Basin proposal while emphasizing that they were seeking a broader agreement.
Becky Mitchell, Colorado’s lead negotiator, said the Lower Basin plan was a good first step, but it didn’t do enough to protect Lake Powell.
The Upper Basin states want the Lower Basin states to commit to avoiding litigation, which is unlikely.
“While lower division states have made progress, more is needed to protect the Colorado River system now and in the future,” she said in a statement. “These differences underline the urgency of coming together with the help of a mediator. »
The seven states are fighting over who should reduce water use, and by how much, during a drought that has lasted more than two decades.
Recently, Upper Basin states agreed to federal officials’ plan to send nearly a third of their annual water use to Flaming Gorge to protect Lake Powell. Water users with long-standing water rights are also reducing their water use earlier than usual in the season, with some getting only 14% or less of their annual allocations.
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