New US plan could lead to federal action on Colorado River
2 years, 1 month ago

New US plan could lead to federal action on Colorado River

Associated Press  

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The Interior Department announced Friday that it will consider revising a set of guidelines for operating two major dams on the Colorado River in the first sign of what could lead to federal action to protect the once-massive but shrinking reservoirs behind them. “At the same time, we are committed to taking prompt and decisive action necessary to protect the Colorado River System and all those who depend on it.” The announcement comes more than four months after Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton told Congress that water use must be cut dramatically as drought and overuse tax the river — an essential supply of water for farmers, cities and tribes in the U.S. West, as well as Mexico. Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, said he’s been hoping the bureau would require cuts from water users rather than rely on voluntary action. Bill Hasencamp, manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said he hopes the threat of cuts will inspire users to offer up more savings now while federal money is available to pay for it.

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History of this topic

Letters to the Editor: It’s time to build a water pipeline to supply the Colorado River
1 week, 4 days ago

Letters to the Editor: It’s time to build a water pipeline to supply the Colorado River

LA Times  

Tourists visit the Hoover Dam, which impounds the Colorado River to create Lake Mead, in Nevada in April 2023. Knowing the dire sense of urgency, we should at least consider — in lieu of toilet to tap, paying farmers to fallow their fields, sucking more groundwater out of sinking land and starting more water wars — a 1,000-mile water pipeline …

As Colorado River states await water cuts, they struggle to find agreement on longer-term plans
4 months, 1 week ago

As Colorado River states await water cuts, they struggle to find agreement on longer-term plans

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The federal government is expected to announce water cuts soon that would affect some of the 40 million people reliant on the Colorado River, the powerhouse of the U.S. West. In 2007, following years of drought, the seven U.S. states in the basin — Arizona, Nevada, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — and the federal government …

A plan to replenish the Colorado River could mean dry alfalfa fields. And many farmers are for it
4 months, 4 weeks ago

A plan to replenish the Colorado River could mean dry alfalfa fields. And many farmers are for it

Associated Press  

A plan to help shore up the depleted Colorado River by cutting off water to alfalfa fields in California’s crop-rich Imperial Valley is finding support from the farmers who grow it. The idea to pay the farmers to halt irrigation arose last year as part of an agreement among Arizona, Nevada and California to aid the dwindling Colorado River, which …

California farmers set to cut use of Colorado River water, temporarily leaving fields dry
5 months, 1 week ago

California farmers set to cut use of Colorado River water, temporarily leaving fields dry

LA Times  

Welcome to Boiling Point. The Imperial Irrigation District delivers the single largest share of the Colorado River’s water to farmlands that produce hay for cattle as well as many of the country’s vegetables. Tina Shields, the district’s water manager, called it a “mini-fallowing program.” “The goal is to strengthen the Colorado River and ensure long-term viability and reliability,” Shields said. …

‘We can do better’: Western states divided over long-term plans for Colorado River water
9 months, 2 weeks ago

‘We can do better’: Western states divided over long-term plans for Colorado River water

LA Times  

With climate change compounding the strains on the Colorado River, seven Western states are starting to consider long-term plans for reducing water use to prevent the river’s reservoirs from reaching critically low levels in the years to come. In one camp, the three states in the river’s lower basin — California, Arizona and Nevada — say their approach would share …

As a deadline approaches, Colorado River states are still far apart on water sharing
9 months, 2 weeks ago

As a deadline approaches, Colorado River states are still far apart on water sharing

NPR  

As a deadline approaches, Colorado River states are still far apart on water sharing Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Hager/KUNC Alex Hager/KUNC Ahead of a deadline next week, the seven states that share the Colorado River have revealed competing plans for how the river should be managed in the future. Reservoirs drying up Mitchell and her Upper Basin colleagues …

Federal officials say plan for water cuts from 3 Western states is enough to protect Colorado River
1 year, 1 month ago

Federal officials say plan for water cuts from 3 Western states is enough to protect Colorado River

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Federal officials said Wednesday that conditions have improved on the Colorado River to the point that a plan by California, Arizona and Nevada to voluntarily reduce water use should help keep the river basin on stable footing for the next few years. The U.S. Department of the Interior said in a statement that the risk of reaching …

Feds say Colorado River water cuts are sufficient to stave off immediate risks
1 year, 1 month ago

Feds say Colorado River water cuts are sufficient to stave off immediate risks

LA Times  

Current plans for reducing water use along the Colorado River should be sufficient to stave off the risk of reservoirs reaching critically low levels over the next three years, according to a new analysis by the federal government. Deputy Interior Secretary Tommy Beaudreau said the ongoing conservation efforts by states in the Colorado River Basin have helped ease the immediate …

Sweeping California water conservation rules could force big cuts in some areas
1 year, 3 months ago

Sweeping California water conservation rules could force big cuts in some areas

LA Times  

With California facing a hotter and drier future — punctuated by bouts of extreme weather — state officials are moving forward with a new framework for urban water use that could require some suppliers to make cuts of 20% or more as soon as 2025. “That legislation, and the board’s regulation, really mark a turning point and a major improvement …

As Colorado River shrinks, California farmers urge ‘one-dam solution’
1 year, 3 months ago

As Colorado River shrinks, California farmers urge ‘one-dam solution’

LA Times  

John Weisheit, co-founder of the group Living Rivers, says the Colorado River should be restored to a more natural state by decommissioning Glen Canyon Dam. For years, environmentalists have argued that the Colorado River should be allowed to flow freely across the Utah-Arizona border, saying that letting water pass around Glen Canyon Dam — and draining the giant Lake Powell …

10 trillion gallons of water lost in Colorado River Basin due to rising temperatures: Report
1 year, 4 months ago

10 trillion gallons of water lost in Colorado River Basin due to rising temperatures: Report

Hindustan Times  

The harmful effects of global warming are being felt very starkly across the United States. According to a report published by CNN, the Colorado River Basin has lost more than 10 trillion gallons of water between 2000 and 2021 due to rising temperatures. Colorado River Notably, the Colorado River runs through seven Western states and provides water for drinking, irrigation …

Feds announce start of public process to reshape key rules on Colorado River water use by 2027
1 year, 6 months ago

Feds announce start of public process to reshape key rules on Colorado River water use by 2027

Associated Press  

LAS VEGAS — A public process started Thursday to reshape the way Colorado River water is distributed, with federal officials promising to collect comments about updating and enacting rules in 2027 to continue providing hydropower, drinking water and irrigation to farms, cities and tribes in seven Western U.S. states and Mexico. Interior Department said it will publish in the Federal …

Explainer: What does the latest Colorado River proposal mean for California, Arizona, Nevada?
1 year, 7 months ago

Explainer: What does the latest Colorado River proposal mean for California, Arizona, Nevada?

Associated Press  

LAS VEGAS — Facing the future with a dwindling Colorado River supply and intense pressure from the federal government, Arizona, California and Nevada have offered a plan to cut their water use significantly. Metropolitan will turn to other sources of water and leave about 250,000 acre-feet in Lake Mead this year, said Bill Hasencamp, the district’s manager of Colorado River …

Explainer: What does the latest Colorado River proposal mean for California, Arizona, Nevada?
1 year, 7 months ago

Explainer: What does the latest Colorado River proposal mean for California, Arizona, Nevada?

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Facing the future with a …

Breakthrough proposal would aid drought-stricken Colorado River as 3 Western states offer cuts
1 year, 7 months ago

Breakthrough proposal would aid drought-stricken Colorado River as 3 Western states offer cuts

Associated Press  

LAS VEGAS — Arizona, Nevada and California said Monday they’re willing to cut back on their use of the dwindling Colorado River in exchange for money from the federal government -- and to avoid forced cuts as drought threatens the key water supply for the U.S. West. Though adoption of the plan isn’t certain, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille …

Editorial: Colorado River water deal gives California another reprieve. For now
1 year, 7 months ago

Editorial: Colorado River water deal gives California another reprieve. For now

LA Times  

A “bathtub ring” displays the drop in water levels on Lake Mead, which provides much of Southern California’s water and is fed by a diminishing Colorado River. The real reckoning comes when operating agreements expire for Lake Mead, which feeds the Colorado’s water to Southern California and the two other lower-basin states, and Lake Powell, which regulates the flow into …

Arizona, California and Nevada propose water cuts from Colorado River to avert forced cuts
1 year, 7 months ago

Arizona, California and Nevada propose water cuts from Colorado River to avert forced cuts

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Arizona, California and Nevada on Monday proposed a plan to significantly reduce their water use …

Breakthrough Colorado River deal reached, outlining big water cuts for three years
1 year, 7 months ago

Breakthrough Colorado River deal reached, outlining big water cuts for three years

LA Times  

A “bathtub ring” stands far above the waterline around Lake Powell on April 15. The consensus reached among the states will “protect the Colorado River system for the duration of the current guidelines,” said JB Hamby, chair of California’s Colorado River Board. Gavin Newsom said that California has “stepped up to make significant cuts to water usage,” and that the …

Half of US West out of drought, but not fully recovered
1 year, 7 months ago

Half of US West out of drought, but not fully recovered

Associated Press  

DENVER — Nearly half of the U.S. West has emerged from drought this spring, but the welcome wet conditions haven’t entirely replenished the region, scientists said Tuesday. Hydrologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said deep snowpack across much of the West will bring short-term relief, but the equally deep “bathtub rings” at Lake Powell and Lake Mead reservoirs …

US floats options to reduce water pulled from Colorado River
1 year, 8 months ago

US floats options to reduce water pulled from Colorado River

Associated Press  

BOULDER CITY, Nev. — The Biden administration released an environmental analysis Tuesday that outlined two ways that seven Western states and tribes reliant on the overtapped Colorado River could cut their use, but declined to publicly take a side on the best option. But Beaudreau said states, Native American tribes and other water users recognized that it would be in …

In Colorado River talks, still no agreement about water cuts
1 year, 8 months ago

In Colorado River talks, still no agreement about water cuts

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Tribe, US officials reach deal to save Colorado River water
1 year, 8 months ago

Tribe, US officials reach deal to save Colorado River water

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — A Native American tribe in Arizona reached a deal Thursday with the U.S. government not to use some of its Colorado River water rights in return for $150 million and funding for a pipeline project. Officials termed it “compensated conservation.” It’s part of a broader effort to get states that rely on the Colorado River to substantially lessen …

Tribe, US officials reach deal to save Colorado River water
1 year, 8 months ago

Tribe, US officials reach deal to save Colorado River water

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Officials termed it “compensated conservation.” …

Editorial: An unfair plan to cut California’s use of Colorado River water
1 year, 9 months ago

Editorial: An unfair plan to cut California’s use of Colorado River water

LA Times  

The immediate question before the seven states that use rapidly vanishing Colorado River water is not how to renegotiate the century-old agreement and accompanying laws that divvy up the supply. The urgent question at present is what emergency steps the states must take in the interim to keep enough Colorado River water in two huge but dangerously depleted reservoirs to …

As Colorado River shrinks, water evaporation becomes critical to California’s future supplies
1 year, 10 months ago

As Colorado River shrinks, water evaporation becomes critical to California’s future supplies

LA Times  

Much of the Colorado River’s water is diverted from reservoirs and transported in canals to the farmlands and cities of the desert Southwest. The states’ proposal calls evaporation and other water losses “infrastructure protection volumes,” or IPV, and says these amounts should be immediately applied as reductions. The proposal from the six states draws on suggestions by Las Vegas’ water …

Colorado River crisis is so bad, lakes Mead and Powell are unlikely to refill in our lifetimes
1 year, 10 months ago

Colorado River crisis is so bad, lakes Mead and Powell are unlikely to refill in our lifetimes

LA Times  

The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is the deepest it’s been in decades, but those storms that were a boon for Northern California won’t make much of a dent in the long-term water shortage for the Colorado River Basin — an essential source of supplies for Southern California. “To think that these things would ever refill requires some kind of …

California is alone in battle over Colorado River water cuts
1 year, 10 months ago

California is alone in battle over Colorado River water cuts

LA Times  

After a key deadline passed this week without an agreement on how to address the Colorado River’s crisis, California is now sharply at odds with six other states over how to take less water from the shrinking river. “California is trying to play its best card, which is, ‘The law is on our side.’ And the other six states are …

California releases its own plan for Colorado River cuts
1 year, 10 months ago

California releases its own plan for Colorado River cuts

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California released a plan Tuesday detailing how Western states reliant on the Colorado River should save more water. Unlike the other states’ plan, California’s does not factor the roughly 1.5 million acre feet of Colorado River water lost to evaporation and transportation. “That was the issue over the summer, that was the issue over the fall, that’s …

Battling to avoid massive water cuts, California offers proposal on Colorado River crisis
1 year, 10 months ago

Battling to avoid massive water cuts, California offers proposal on Colorado River crisis

LA Times  

California has given the federal government its own proposal for making cuts in Colorado River water use, saying a plan offered by six other states would disproportionately burden farms and cities in Southern California. In the proposal letter, J.B. Hamby, chair of California’s Colorado River Board, said the state’s alternative “provides a realistic and implementable framework to address reduced inflows …

States miss deadline to address Colorado River water crisis; pressure builds on California
1 year, 10 months ago

States miss deadline to address Colorado River water crisis; pressure builds on California

LA Times  

Water levels in Lake Powell have been dropping during the past 23 years of drought in the Colorado River Basin. In announcing the proposal Monday, Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, called it a key step in the “ongoing dialogue” among the seven states “as we continue to seek a collaborative solution to stabilize the Colorado …

AP Exclusive: Emails reveal tensions in Colorado River talks
1 year, 10 months ago

AP Exclusive: Emails reveal tensions in Colorado River talks

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Competing priorities, outsized demands and the federal government’s retreat from a threatened deadline stymied a deal last summer on how to drastically reduce water use from the parched Colorado River, emails obtained by The Associated Press show. As the deadline approached without meaningful progress, one water manager warned: “We’re all headed to a very dark place.” “The …

Federal officials say urgent action needed to protect shrinking Colorado River reservoirs
2 years ago

Federal officials say urgent action needed to protect shrinking Colorado River reservoirs

LA Times  

A boat sits in a cove on Lake Powell, in Utah, in May. Speaking at the conference Friday, Touton said: “I can feel the anxiety, the uncertainty in this room, and in the basin, as we look at the river and the hydrology that we face.” Touton noted that an agreement a century ago, the 1922 Colorado River Compact, divided …

Growing fears of ‘dead pool’ on Colorado River as drought threatens Hoover Dam water
2 years ago

Growing fears of ‘dead pool’ on Colorado River as drought threatens Hoover Dam water

LA Times  

The Colorado River’s largest reservoirs stand nearly three-quarters empty, and federal officials now say there is a real danger the reservoirs could drop so low that water would no longer flow past Hoover Dam in two years. Outlining their latest projections for Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the nation’s two largest reservoirs, federal water managers said there is a risk …

Colorado River water users convening amid crisis concerns
2 years ago

Colorado River water users convening amid crisis concerns

Associated Press  

LAS VEGAS — Living with less water in the U.S. Southwest is the focus this week for state and federal water administrators, tribal officials, farmers, academics and business representatives meeting about the drought-stricken and overpromised Colorado River. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in June told the seven states that are part of the Colorado River Basin — Arizona, California, Colorado, …

Drying California lake to get $250M in US drought funding
2 years ago

Drying California lake to get $250M in US drought funding

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The federal government said Monday it will spend $250 million over four years on environmental cleanup and restoration work around a drying Southern California lake that’s fed by the depleted Colorado River. The lake is largely fed by runoff from farms in California’s Imperial Valley, who use Colorado River water to grow many of the nation’s winter …

Feds to Colorado River states: reduce water usage, or we will do it for you
2 years, 1 month ago

Feds to Colorado River states: reduce water usage, or we will do it for you

Salon  

This story is part of the Grist series Parched, an in-depth look at how climate change-fueled drought is reshaping communities, economies, and ecosystems. In theory, the federal government can unilaterally cut water deliveries from the Colorado River's two main reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which release more than 2 trillion gallons of water to farms and cities across the …

New push to shore up shrinking Colorado River could reduce water flow to California
2 years, 1 month ago

New push to shore up shrinking Colorado River could reduce water flow to California

LA Times  

Water flows down the Colorado River at the Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Ariz. White surfaces along the banks of the river and lake show previous water levels in the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. With the nation’s two largest reservoirs continuing to decline, federal officials announced plans Friday to revise their current rules for dealing with Colorado River shortages …

As drought drives prices higher, millions of Californians struggle to pay for water
2 years, 2 months ago

As drought drives prices higher, millions of Californians struggle to pay for water

LA Times  

Several months ago, Rosario Rodriguez faced a financial dilemma that has become all too common for millions of drought-weary Californians — either pay the electric bill, which had skyrocketed to about $300 during a scorching summer in western Fresno County, or pay the $220 combined water, sewer and trash bill. “Our water is expensive, even though we can’t drink it …

Editorial: The feds can curb a foolish California water giveaway
2 years, 2 months ago

Editorial: The feds can curb a foolish California water giveaway

LA Times  

About 15 miles north of Fresno sits Millerton Lake, a reservoir created in the 1930s when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built Friant Dam on the San Joaquin River. It also threatened the rights of landowners to divert naturally flowing San Joaquin River water for their fields. This is one of several big water agreements, known as settlement or exchange …

California agencies float Colorado River water cuts proposal
2 years, 2 months ago

California agencies float Colorado River water cuts proposal

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California water agencies that rely on the parched Colorado River said Wednesday they can reduce their use by one-tenth starting in 2023 in response to calls for cuts from the federal government. The proposal to cut 400,000 acre feet annually marks the first time California water agencies are publicly and formally indicating what they’re willing to give …

More water restrictions likely as California pledges to cut use of Colorado River supply
2 years, 2 months ago

More water restrictions likely as California pledges to cut use of Colorado River supply

LA Times  

With the Colorado River in crisis and reservoir levels continuing to decline, some California water agencies are planning to significantly reduce the amount they take from the river starting next year. Four water districts and the state’s Colorado River Board said in a letter to the federal government on Wednesday that they are proposing to reduce water use by up …

California water agencies brace for Colorado River cuts
2 years, 3 months ago

California water agencies brace for Colorado River cuts

LA Times  

California water districts are under growing pressure to shoulder substantial water cutbacks as the federal government pushes for urgent solutions to prevent the Colorado River’s badly depleted reservoirs from reaching dangerously low levels. They include improving water efficiency in agriculture, creating a regional program to help people with the costs of removing grass, and redefining “beneficial use” to eliminate “wasteful …

Crisis looms without big cuts to over-tapped Colorado River
2 years, 4 months ago

Crisis looms without big cuts to over-tapped Colorado River

Associated Press  

SALT LAKE CITY — Hydroelectric turbines may stop turning. People have “been hoping to stave off this day,” said Felicia Marcus, a former top water official in California, which holds the largest right to the river’s water. Entsminger and his counterparts in Arizona, Utah and California, as well as local officials in and around Phoenix, also repeated what has become …

US states hit by extreme drought face more water cuts
2 years, 4 months ago

US states hit by extreme drought face more water cuts

Al Jazeera  

Cuts affecting Arizona and Nevada come as water levels at the nation’s largest manmade reservoir, Lake Mead, are set to drop further. For the second year in a row, the US states of Arizona and Nevada will face cuts in the amount of water they can draw from the Colorado River as the Western United States endures an extreme drought, …

As talks on Colorado River water falter, U.S. government imposes new restrictions
2 years, 4 months ago

As talks on Colorado River water falter, U.S. government imposes new restrictions

LA Times  

The water level in Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, has been dropping amid severe drought conditions and has reached its lowest point since Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s. After Colorado River Basin states failed to meet a deadline for emergency drought reductions Tuesday, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced new emergency water cuts for Arizona, Nevada and …

California is finally reducing water use, but it’s not enough amid severe drought
2 years, 5 months ago

California is finally reducing water use, but it’s not enough amid severe drought

LA Times  

Environmentalist Zan Dubin-Scott has started placing a watering can in her shower to capture the water as it heats up, then uses it to water her potted plants. With reservoirs at record lows and Lake Mead inching closer to “dead pool” levels, Californians are beginning to heed the state’s urgent calls for water conservation — but not fast enough, officials …

Governor signs $1.2B water plan as Arizona faces cutbacks
2 years, 5 months ago

Governor signs $1.2B water plan as Arizona faces cutbacks

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Climate change and a nearly 30-year drought forced the move, which comes as Arizona faces cutbacks in its Colorado River water supply and more loom. “So today we are taking action to do what the men and women of Arizona hired us to do — position our state for success today, tomorrow and for generations to …

As water crisis worsens on Colorado River, an urgent call for Western states to ‘act now’
2 years, 6 months ago

As water crisis worsens on Colorado River, an urgent call for Western states to ‘act now’

LA Times  

A person walks past a formerly sunken boat on a now-dry section of lakebed at Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir. She provided details about the federal government’s approach to the crisis two days after Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton announced that major cuts of between 2 million and 4 million acre-feet will be needed next year to keep reservoirs …

Major water cutbacks loom as shrinking Colorado River nears ‘moment of reckoning’
2 years, 6 months ago

Major water cutbacks loom as shrinking Colorado River nears ‘moment of reckoning’

LA Times  

Exposed banks of Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam show how low water levels have dropped on the Colorado River-fed reservoir due to persistent and worsening drought. As the West endures another year of unrelenting drought worsened by climate change, the Colorado River’s reservoirs have declined so low that major water cuts will be necessary next year to reduce risks of …

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