The Bureau of Reclamation announced that it will lessen restrictions on Colorado River water use next year after an unusually wet winter boosted low
Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Colorado River water cuts will ease in 2024, despite long-term challenges
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Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River in Arizona, Charles ([link removed]) Wang/Wikimedia Commons ([link removed])
The Bureau of Reclamation announced ([link removed]) that it will lessen restrictions on Colorado River water use next year after an unusually wet winter boosted low water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The announcement was made on the same day the Bureau of Reclamation released its 24-month projections ([link removed]) for the Colorado River Basin. These projections play a critical role in determining the amount of water available from the river system for the following water year, which begins in October.
“The above-average precipitation this year was a welcome relief, and coupled with our hard work for system conservation, we have the time to focus on the long-term sustainability solutions needed in the Colorado River Basin,” said ([link removed]) Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton in a statement ([link removed]) .
Under the new projections, Arizona and Nevada will still need to reduce their consumption of Colorado River water. However, these reductions will be smaller than those mandated in 2023. The scale of these cuts is based on the water levels and is categorized into different "tiers" of shortage under a series of water management agreements among the states. This entails Arizona having to reduce its consumption by 512,000 acre-feet of water, which is roughly 18 percent of its annual allotment, while Nevada will relinquish 21,000 acre-feet, equating to 7 percent of its yearly share. California, which owns the largest and oldest share of Colorado River rights, is not required to give up any of its water under Tier 1 standards.
Although this news brings flexibility for 2024, the Colorado River Basin faces a long-term crisis as reservoirs dry up ([link removed]) . The Interior Department is finalizing a plan for Colorado River water use between 2024 and 2026 ([link removed]) . Once it is complete, this interim plan will supersede the 2024 plan. Interior is also formulating a long-term operations plan ([link removed]) for the Colorado River Basin, which will shape the future of the river that serves over 40 million people and irrigates 5.5 million acres of farmland.
** Quick hits
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Western states will not lose as much Colorado River water in 2024, despite long-term challenges
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** Quote of the day
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”
Feeling seen also means being appreciated for who we are – the original stewards of our shared lands and waters. It means incorporating our unique perspectives into addressing the greatest challenge of our lifetime: the climate crisis. For many Tribes, existential threats like rising sea levels are already at our doorsteps.”
—Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Navajo-Hopi Observer ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@nationalparkservice ([link removed])
All Iguana do is have some lunch.
We got a feelin' you’re not the only one. What’s on the menu? Desert Iguanas are mostly vegetarian. They eat leaves, buds, and flowers, and the occasional insect or carrion. They are very dependent on the creosote bush. They eat the buds and flowers as well as burrow underneath and use the bush to conceal themselves.
Table for one? Desert Iguana are solitary creatures that are most active during hot midday hours. These lizards can withstand high temperatures and are out and about while other lizards have hidden into their burrows. Although Desert iguanas are primarily terrestrial they are very skillful climbers and often climb into the branches of bushes in order to reach the yellow flowers of the creosote bush.
Images: All I wanna eat is this flower. A series of four images of a pale lizard eating a yellow creosote bush flower. NPS/Brad Sutton
#WorldLizardDay ([link removed]) #iguana ([link removed]) #nationalparks ([link removed]) #reptiles ([link removed]) #lizard ([link removed]) #joshuatreenationalpark ([link removed])
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