** Southwest states face shrinking Colorado River
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Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Colorado River, Arizona Department of Water Resources ([link removed])

After years of compounding drought, the agreement that governs use of the Colorado River between states is facing new tests ([link removed]) . The Colorado River provides water for 40 million people and irrigates more than 5 million acres of farmland. States in the Colorado River Basin created the Drought Contingency Plan three years ago, designed to prevent the system's reservoirs from hitting the worst shortage tier. So far, the plan has accomplished this goal. However, this year's cutbacks are projected to be the largest yet, which will test the system.

About 58% ([link removed]) of the West is classified as being in a severe, extreme, or exceptional drought. This year, the amount of water that flows into Lake Powell, one of the river's main reservoirs, is projected to be just 45% ([link removed]) of the long-term average. Anne Castle, a senior fellow at the University of Colorado Law School’s Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment said ([link removed]) , “It's important for people to understand that we're dealing with not only a limited system but a shrinking system, and that that has real implications for
water use throughout the Colorado River Basin.”


** Haaland heads West
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Secretary Haaland kicked off her first trip ([link removed]) as the head of the Interior Department yesterday, meeting with a delegation ([link removed]) of nine pueblo governors of the All Pueblo Council of Governors in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This week, Haaland will also visit Utah to tour Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. Restoring these monuments, whose boundaries were shrunk by the Trump administration, is widely popular across the West, with 77% ([link removed]) of Western voters and 74% ([link removed]) of Utah voters specifically in support of restoring protections for these
lands.
Quick hits


** New Mexico officials say plugging orphaned wells protects public health and environment
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New Mexico Political Report ([link removed])


** Southwest braces for water cutbacks as drought deepens along the Colorado River
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Arizona Republic ([link removed])


** Tribes talk priorities on Secretary Haaland's first trip West
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | Indian Country Today ([link removed])


** Pandemic wilderness explorers are straining search and rescue
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Tribes sue over Trump rollback of Clean Water Act protections
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The Counter ([link removed])


** Mesa Verde National Park designated 100th International Dark Sky Park
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Denver Post ([link removed]) | Durango Herald ([link removed]) | OutThere Colorado ([link removed])


** Montanans defend their public lands in virtual rally
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Bozeman Daily Chronicle ([link removed])


** Opinion: Royalty rates for leasing public lands are outdated
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Las Vegas Sun ([link removed])
Quote of the day
By learning about the land’s layered history, we can come to a deeper understanding of the sacrifices made for public lands to exist and the significance they play for so many diverse people and other biodiversity.”
—Francine Spang-Willis, historian and member of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Foundation board of directors, at public lands rally in Montana, Bozeman Daily Chronicle ([link removed])
Picture this


** @Interior ([link removed])
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Join us as we celebrate #NationalParkWeek ([link removed]) from April 17 to 25! We encourage you to virtually explore these amazing places during the week, as we share the beauty, history and culture of YOUR national parks. [link removed] ([link removed])

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