Feds signal intent to cut Colorado River releases
Monday, October 31, 2022
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The Bureau of Reclamation has indicated it may reduce how much water is released from Lake Powell and Lake Mead in the coming year, which would shrink the amounts of water flowing to California, Arizona, and Mexico. The Bureau of Reclamation filed a federal Notice of Intent last week, indicating it plans to draft a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, which will include details of the proposed cuts.
“Today’s action brings new ideas and necessary measures to the table as we consider alternatives to revise operations to better protect [the] Colorado River System in the near term while we also continue to develop long-term, sustainable plans that reflect the climate-driven realities facing the Colorado River Basin,” Bureau of Reclamation commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said of the Notice.
The Bureau of Reclamation’s plan will tweak rules established in 2007 in response to declining reservoir levels, also known as the 2007 Interim Guidelines, which were supposed to be in place through 2025. States that use water from the Colorado River are currently working on rewriting management guidelines by 2026, when the current set expires.
The move comes after the seven Colorado River basin states failed to meet an August deadline to make plans to conserve water. The federal government has also announced it will spend $4 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act to keep water in the river's two main reservoirs. Keeping water at sufficient levels in both reservoirs is essential for both water delivery and hydropower purposes.
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Feds indicate plans to cut Colorado River basin releases
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 People come here from all over the world and ask how we did it. This is a place where I feel optimistic about things. Throughout my environmental career, I’ve felt things can get really down. It can seem really dark. But Mono Lake is an example of we-can-do-this work in the environmental field.”
— Rose Nelson, education director for the Mono Lake Committee |
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The chances of being haunted by saguaro cactus are low but never zero.
The iconic saguaro cactus can be found in the Sonoran Desert and holds the record for the tallest cactus species in the United States. Those spikey arms reaching up through the foggy mist can take decades to form. This slow-growing succulent can be ten years old and may only stand two inches tall. They'll grow their first side arms at around 75 to 100 years of age and can live up to 200 years.
Saguaro cacti are important to a variety of wildlife species. Many birds, like the Gila woodpecker, make their nests in saguaros. The blooms produced in early summer provide nectar for bats, and the fruit it grows supplies a nutritious food source for mammals, reptiles and insects. The saguaro is a spikey friend to many; just remember, no hugs. 🚫🤗🌵
Have you ever experienced these sentinels of the southwest?
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