A Nevada congresswoman warned this week that those negotiating new agreements for use of the Colorado River system faced “crunch time,” amid ongoing drought and poor runoff conditions.
Why It Matters
Lake Mead, capable of storing about 29 million acre-feet of water, supplies drinking water to tens of millions of people. The reservoir, along with upstream Lake Powell, hit historic lows in 2022.
Negotiations have been going on to draft new operating rules for the reservoirs, which are the nation’s largest. The current rules expire next year.
What To Know
“It’s crunch time for the negotiators,” said Democratic Representative Susie Lee of Nevada on Thursday at the Southern Nevada Water Summit which she has convened, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
“There’s a lot of places where I don’t see eye-to-eye with this current administration, but we do agree on this much: The best path forward for the Colorado River system is one that is jointly chartered and agreed upon by the basin states and the tribes, not one that is imposed upon us living in the West by Washington, D.C.”
Department of the Interior acting assistant secretary for water and science Scott Cameron previously indicated that Secretary Doug Burgum would step in if the states that rely on the Colorado River fail to reach an agreement, The Colorado Sun reported earlier this year.
“He’s not looking forward to that, but in the absence of a seven-state agreement, he will do it,” the paper quoted Cameron as saying.
The current framework, known as the 2007 Operating Guidelines, is set to expire in 2026. The new post-2026 guidelines will dictate how much water is released from both reservoirs, shaping the future of water distribution in the Southwest.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) warned that continued drought conditions in the Colorado River Basin demanded urgent new agreements to secure the region’s water security.
“We must develop new, sustainable operating guidelines that are robust enough to withstand ongoing drought and poor runoff conditions,” David Palumbo, USBR’s acting commissioner, said in a statement at the time.
As of Friday, Lake Mead’s elevation was at around 1,055 feet, USBR data showed.
What People Are Saying
Congresswoman Susie Lee said in a post on X, Thursday: “No one knows better than a Nevadan just how precious our water resources are. My Southern Nevada Water Summit today underscored the importance of working together to protect existing investments in our water infrastructure while fostering the kind of creative thinking and innovation that will be key to our shared future along the Colorado River.”
Department of the Interior’s acting assistant secretary for water and science Scott Cameron said in a statement, August 15: “As the basin prepares for the transition to post-2026 operating guidelines, the urgency for the seven Colorado River Basin states to reach a consensus agreement has never been clearer. We cannot afford to delay.”
A USBR spokesperson told Newsweek in July: “Reclamation continues to closely monitor hydrologic conditions in the Colorado River. We are proactively working with our partners to ensure readiness if drought response actions are needed…
“We are actively engaging with our Colorado River Basin partners as we work towards long-term operational agreements for the river after 2026.”
What Happens Next
A separate study earlier this year found that increasing wastewater recycling to 40 percent in the Colorado River Basin could save around 900,000 acre-feet of water each year, which would be enough to supply nearly two million homes.
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