(2022-08-28) The Colorado River In Crisis

The Colorado River in Crisis. As the population in the Colorado River Basin continues to grow, the demand for water will increase. The water in the Colorado River needs to serve municipal, agricultural, Tribal and recreation needs, and enough water needs to stay in the river for fish and wildlife, including more than 150 species that are at risk. It’s a dire situation with no easy answers.

there are many potential tools that we can use to manage water supplies

In August 2021, the government implemented a Tier 1 shortage for the first time ever. The Tier 1 declaration meant that the farthest downstream states that depend on the river’s water, Nevada and Arizona, as well as Mexico, would not receive their full allocation of water in 2022.

The federal Bureau of Reclamation also conducted an emergency release of water from reservoirs in Wyoming and Colorado, in order to boost water levels in Lake Powell. In both Lake Powell and Lake Mead, low water levels were putting hydropower infrastructure at risk and threatening to cut off drinking water supplies for Page, Arizona, and chapters of the Navajo Nation.

In addition, in May 2022, the federal government decreased water releases mid-year from Lake Powell for the first time ever.

The federal decision to step in has had a ripple effect, prompting action at state and local levels. In December 2021, California, Arizona and Nevada signed agreements to temporarily take less water from the river, in hopes of stabilizing water levels in Lake Mead. In April 2022, states in Colorado’s Upper Basin agreed to release water from their reservoirs to Lake Powell.

TNC is working to find answers. We’ve been involved in the Basin for more than 20 years

Here are some of the tools we’re using to address the situation:

Starting water banks. In Utah, these are voluntary agreements among users to share a water resource. In exchange for not using their share of water, users receive compensation and legal protection for their water rights.

Using nature-based solutions

advance forest management that mitigates wildfire danger in critical watersheds

Rethinking agriculture

In the Verde Valley in Arizona, we’re using crop switching, water reuse and more efficient irrigation to keep water flowing.

Replacing thirsty crops with more drought-adapted crops like sainfoin (an alternative to grass hay) can make a huge difference.

Upgrading old infrastructure. Obsolete irrigation systems can waste a lot of water, so we’re upgrading them on the lower Yampa River in Colorado to protect federally endangered fish.

Creating new partnerships. TNC brokered a first-of-its-kind agreement in which the Jicarilla Apache Nation will lease up to 20,000 acre feet of their water to the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission