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Like many of the rules and laws that govern land and water in the West, the Colorado River Compact is woefully outdated—yet it's nearly impossible to change, according to experts.
"If we look at the compact today and ask ourselves, 'Was it equitable given 2022 values?' No, it wasn't," former Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle said last week at the University of Utah's Wallace Stegner Center annual symposium. "But a part of the reason I say that I wouldn't suggest a renegotiation is because I don't think it's politically possible."
Castle says that formally changing the Compact—which requires the Upper Basin states to deliver a set amount of water to the Lower Basin states and divides the water among the states in each basin—would require Congress and Western states to agree on any changes, which is very unlikely.
Still, there is hope. New rules for managing the dwindling river—which serves 40 million people—are under negotiation right now in preparation for the expiration of both the current operating plan for the river and a drought contingency plan in 2026.
"While we do not have a readily accessible reset button, we do have other options," said Acting Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner David Palumbo, who also spoke at the symposium. Those include things like addressing access to clean drinking water for tribal nations, as well as environmental and conservation concerns.
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