Federal government considers major water cuts to protect Colorado River
1 year, 8 months ago

Federal government considers major water cuts to protect Colorado River

LA Times  

The federal government on Tuesday laid out two options for preventing the Colorado River’s depleted reservoirs from falling to critically low levels, saying water cuts could be imposed across the Southwest by following the water-rights priority system or by using an across-the-board percentage. Under a second alternative, the Bureau of Reclamation would analyze the effects of reductions “distributed in the same percentage” for all water users in the three Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada. We cannot kick the can on finding solutions.” The Bureau of Reclamation will accept public comments on the draft proposals until May 30, and Beaudreau said the agency expects input from states, tribes and water agencies on “fine-tuning or adjusting those alternatives.” The government plans to adopt a final decision this summer, which will guide dam operations and water releases in the coming year. The Imperial Irrigation District said in a press release that it “continues to have concerns with any alternative that involves ‘equal cuts’ among water users” outside the priority system. By laying out this scenario, Koebele said, the Interior Department is “signaling that they are willing to impose these deep cuts on California, and that California must negotiate with the other six basin states if it wants a better water deal, which is a powerful motivator.” “I’m hopeful that we’ll see a seven-state consensus emerge in the coming weeks,” Koebele said.

Climate Change Water States Interior California Nevada Officials Federal Colorado River Lake Cuts Southern California Brian Van Der Dry Conditions Colorado River Colorado River Water Water Use Federal Government Hagekhalil Federal Officials Lake Mead Lake Powell Water Cuts Water Agencies Hoover Dam Koebele Beaudreau  major  cuts  officials  protect  beaudreau  states  river  considers  water  colorado  california  federal  lake

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. …

Native American tribes give unanimous approval to proposal securing Colorado River water
7 months ago

Native American tribes give unanimous approval to proposal securing Colorado River water

Associated Press  

The Navajo Nation Council has signed off on a proposed settlement that would ensure water rights for its tribe and two others in the drought-stricken Southwest — a deal that could become the most expensive enacted by Congress. Congress has enacted nearly three dozen tribal water rights settlements across the U.S. over the last four decades and federal negotiation teams …

Plumbing problem at Glen Canyon Dam brings new threat to Colorado River system
8 months, 1 week ago

Plumbing problem at Glen Canyon Dam brings new threat to Colorado River system

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Plumbing problems at the dam holding back the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. are spurring concerns about future water delivery issues to Southwestern states supplied by the Colorado River. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the major dams in the Colorado River system, is evaluating issues related to Glen Canyon Dam when Lake Powell reaches low levels. …

‘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 …

States in Colorado River basin pitch new ways to absorb shortages but clash on the approach
9 months, 2 weeks ago

States in Colorado River basin pitch new ways to absorb shortages but clash on the approach

Associated Press  

SANTA ANA, Calif. — The seven U.S. states that draw water from the Colorado River basin are suggesting new ways to determine how the increasingly scarce resource is divvied up when the river can’t provide what it historically promised. The seven U.S. states that draw water from the Colorado River basin are suggesting new ways to determine how the increasingly …

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 …

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 …

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 …

California’s colossal snowpack has yet to melt: ‘Less and less places for that water to go’
1 year, 7 months ago

California’s colossal snowpack has yet to melt: ‘Less and less places for that water to go’

LA Times  

A man fishes through a hole cut in the ice at Crowley Lake on the opening day of trout season Saturday. “I know that’s hard to believe, but we’re getting into May and the peak is probably yet to come.” A Department of Water Resources crew conducted its fifth snow survey of the year Monday and determined that statewide snowpack …

Five key things to know about the Colorado River
1 year, 8 months ago

Five key things to know about the Colorado River

Al Jazeera  

One of the largest rivers in the US is in crisis. It provides water to 40 million people Approximately 40 million people in Mexico and across seven US states rely on the Colorado River and its tributaries for their drinking water. The Imperial Irrigation District, serving a rich agricultural area in southern California, is the single-largest Colorado River water user …

Editorial: Drought and flood, California’s double whammy
1 year, 8 months ago

Editorial: Drought and flood, California’s double whammy

LA Times  

Just as federal officials were laying out alternative scenarios last week for steep water supply cuts from the Colorado River due to the drying Southwest, California officials were warning that this year’s historic Sierra snowpack could flood much of the state later this year. Lake Mead, and farther up the Colorado River, Lake Powell — Southern California’s two big out-of-state …

What might cuts to dwindling Colorado River mean for states?
1 year, 8 months ago

What might cuts to dwindling Colorado River mean for states?

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration floated two ideas this week to reduce water usage from the dwindling Colorado River, which supplies 40 million people. Tuesday’s analysis from the Interior Department considers two ways to force cuts in the water supply for Arizona, Nevada and California: use the existing water priority system or the same percentage across the board. California is …

EXPLAINER: What might Colorado River cuts mean for states?
1 year, 8 months ago

EXPLAINER: What might Colorado River cuts mean for states?

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. Tuesday's analysis from the Interior …

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.” …

Scientists: Largest US reservoirs moving in right direction
1 year, 9 months ago

Scientists: Largest US reservoirs moving in right direction

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. “We’re definitely going in the right direction, but we …

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 …

Photos show Lake Oroville's rise after epic storms
1 year, 10 months ago

Photos show Lake Oroville's rise after epic storms

LA Times  

Lake Oroville, a key component of California’s water supply, looks noticeably fuller after a series of January storms. Shocking images that year illustrated the worsening drought conditions, including exposed portions of Oroville’s lakebed and a distinct “bathtub ring” indicating just how far the water had receded. Jeanine Jones, Interstate Resources Manager for the Department of Water Resources, said in a …

Why California is so far apart from other states in Colorado River water cuts plan
1 year, 10 months ago

Why California is so far apart from other states in Colorado River water cuts plan

LA Times  

Lake Mead, held back by Hoover Dam, has declined to its lowest levels since it was filled. The figures in the two alternatives submitted to the federal government also show significant differences in how quickly cuts would take effect in the river’s three Lower Basin states — Arizona, California and Nevada — as the reservoir’s levels continue to decline. Under …

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 …

At the heart of Colorado River crisis, the mighty ‘Law of the River’ holds sway
1 year, 10 months ago

At the heart of Colorado River crisis, the mighty ‘Law of the River’ holds sway

LA Times  

The Colorado River cuts through Marle Canyon in the Navajo Nation en route to the Grand Canyon. But as California argues most strongly for strict adherence to this system of water apportionment, the other states say it makes little sense when the river’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, continues to decline toward “dead pool” level, which would effectively cut off the …

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 …

California is lone holdout in Colorado River cuts proposal
1 year, 10 months ago

California is lone holdout in Colorado River cuts proposal

Associated Press  

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Six Western states that rely on water from the Colorado River have agreed on a model to dramatically cut water use in the basin, months after the federal government called for action and an initial deadline passed. Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming sent a letter Monday to Reclamation, which operates the major dams in …

California floated cutting major Southwest cities off Colorado River water before touching its agriculture supply, sources say
1 year, 10 months ago

California floated cutting major Southwest cities off Colorado River water before touching its agriculture supply, sources say

CNN  

CNN — In a closed-door negotiation last week over the fate of the Colorado River, representatives from California’s powerful water districts proposed modeling what the basin’s future would look like if some of the West’s biggest cities – including Phoenix and Las Vegas – were cut off from the river’s water supply, three people familiar with the talks told CNN. …

US states propose Colorado River cuts, California lone holdout
1 year, 10 months ago

US states propose Colorado River cuts, California lone holdout

Al Jazeera  

Authorities in US West are in talks to cut water use as Colorado River faces historically low levels amid drought. Six states in the western United States that rely on water from the Colorado River have agreed on a model to dramatically cut water use in the basin, months after the federal government called for action and an initial deadline …

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 …

In the West, pressure to count water lost to evaporation
1 year, 10 months ago

In the West, pressure to count water lost to evaporation

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Exposed to the beating sun and hot dry air, more than 10% of the water carried by the Colorado River evaporates, leaks or spills as the 1,450-mile powerhouse of the West flows through the region’s dams, reservoirs and open-air canals. For decades, key stewards of the river have ignored the massive water loss, instead allocating Arizona, California, Nevada …

In the West, pressure to count water lost to evaporation
1 year, 10 months ago

In the West, pressure to count water lost to evaporation

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Exposed to the beating sun and hot dry air, more than 10% of the water carried by the Colorado River evaporates, leaks or spills as the 1,450-mile powerhouse of the West flows through the region’s dams, reservoirs and open-air canals. For decades, key stewards of the river have ignored the massive water loss, instead allocating Arizona, California, Nevada …

A showdown over Colorado River water is setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle
1 year, 10 months ago

A showdown over Colorado River water is setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle

CNN  

CNN — Months of bitter negotiations between seven states that rely on the Colorado River’s vanishing water have collapsed along a clear fault line over the past week: California versus everyone else. On Monday, six states – including lower basin states of Arizona and Nevada – released a letter and a proposed model for how much Colorado River water they …

In California’s Imperial Valley, farmers brace for a future with less Colorado River water
1 year, 10 months ago

In California’s Imperial Valley, farmers brace for a future with less Colorado River water

LA Times  

Just north of the California-Mexico border, the All-American Canal cuts across 80 miles of barren, dune-swept desert. Installing more sprinklers and other water-efficient irrigation systems would enable the valley’s farmers to significantly reduce water usage while maintaining crop production, Abatti said. “But at the end of the day, if the system crashes, and no water’s coming out of either lake, …

Why heavy winter rain and snow won't be enough to pull the West out of a megadrought
1 year, 11 months ago

Why heavy winter rain and snow won't be enough to pull the West out of a megadrought

NPR  

Why heavy winter rain and snow won't be enough to pull the West out of a megadrought Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Hager/KUNC Alex Hager/KUNC This winter, the West has been slammed by wet weather. Snow piled high in the Rockies is crucial for the Colorado River — a water lifeline for people from Wyoming to Mexico in an …

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 …

More questions than answers at Colorado River water meetings
2 years ago

More questions than answers at Colorado River water meetings

Associated Press  

LAS VEGAS — Key questions resurfaced Thursday at a conference of Colorado River water administrators and users from seven U.S. states, Native American tribes and Mexico who are served by the shrinking river stricken by drought and climate change. I just have questions right now,” Ted Cooke, general manager of the Central Arizona Project, said during a Colorado River Water …

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