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These days it seems the news is full of stories detailing the pressures on the Colorado River to meet the water demands of 40 million people living in the Southwest, as well as the fish and wildlife that rely on the river, and also have enough capacity to produce hydropower. As the region experiences the worst drought in the last 1,200 years, the situation is certainly dire.
As the law that governs the use of Colorado River water nears its 100-year anniversary, the Colorado Sun published a series of stories this week in collaboration with other media outlets across the Southwest to examine the specific issues on the ground in the states that rely on Colorado River water.
In Arizona, officials worry about the long-term future access to the river as the state faces another round of significant cuts to its allocation next year. New Mexico officials are grappling with how to make do with less water as more tribes reach water settlement agreements with the federal government for access to Colorado River water. Farmers on Colorado's Western Slope face difficult questions about irrigation and interest from Wall Street investment firms in their water rights.
One hundred years later, Colorado River Basin tribes are still struggling to fully secure water rights. When the Colorado River Compact was negotiated in the early 1900s, only about 5,000 people lived in Clark County, Nevada, home to Las Vegas and by far the biggest user of the state's Colorado River water.
A proposed pipeline delivering water from the rapidly shrinking Lake Powell reservoir to elsewhere in Utah manages to stay in play, even as the system dries. “With the entire Colorado River Basin in crisis mode, it’s laughable that Utah would even think about moving forward with a new diversion from the river,” said Glen Canyon Institute Executive Director Eric Balken.
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Even though Black leaders are seldom if ever consulted regarding local, state or national parks, and public lands, Black communities still value public lands not only for their health and recreation benefits but for their value for telling Black history. This isn’t just Black history, it is everyone’s history.”
