Colorado River stakeholders puzzle over future distribution as waters dry up
Jacob Walters
LAS VEGAS (CN) — The puzzle of who deciding who gets what was the theme on Thursday for the Colorado River Water Users Association at the second day of their annual conference.
The organization's focus is ensuring numerous territories and groups have access to clean, potable water through the 1922 Colorado River Compact — which encompasses Mexico, seven U.S. states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, and 30 different Native American tribes. Over 40 million people use the Colorado River for various purposes, including drinking, irrigation and hydroelectricity.
Uncertainty has settled in regarding the river's future as climate change and increased development have reduced water flow over the years.
Balancing the distribution of water is complicated — the Colorado River supports over $1.4 trillion in economic activity across the Western United States, along with 16 million jobs. That includes $26 billion in recreational spending.
Figuring out whether citizens will have access to potable water in future generations requires figuring out each entity will need, which the association hopes to resolve in their annual conference, held this year at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.
"We have to have the empathy to understand each state's conditions," said Brandon Gebhart, Upper Basin Principal of the Wyoming branch of the association.
For the association, which must deal with countless obstacles such as ongoing development in the region, it's a complex puzzle, where representatives from each region tussled over where the pieces fit.
"Any new development is subject to the incredibly uncertain future," said Becky Mitchell, Upper Basin Principal of the Colorado branch. "With respect to the tribes that have settled water rights, we have to factor that into the equation."
12% of Native American tribes don't have access to running water, according to Karletta Chief, Director of the Indigenous Resilience Center at the University of Arizona. The center advocates for empowering indigenous individuals and providing access to resources, including water.
Other factors — ranging from climate change to a growing population to bureaucracy — complicate the puzzle of coming up with a viable resolution for all parties further.
"We're willing to conserve in years where it is possible," said Estevan Lopez, Upper Basin Principal of the New Mexico branch. "We've had a minimal role in creating this problem. Every year, we are shorted."
The association has recieved some help in water conservation, in the form of outside investments and agreements. Over 25 short-term System Conservation Implementation Agreements have saved more than 2.28 million-acre feet of water through 2026. The association has also been buoyed by a $700 million investment from the Inflation Reduction Act, supporting the system's long-term conservation.
"Every drop matters," says Joel Kimmelshue, owner and principal soil and agricultural scientist of Land IQ. "The need has arisen to get a little bit better."
Land IQ provides agronomic assessments, water quality and supply evaluations, and plant/soil/water dynamics solutions. They map approximately 460,000 individual fields and 9.55 million acres.
What happens beyond 2026 will depend on how these systems are implemented and how each party contributes to a plausible solution. That means everyone must do do their part.
"At the end of the day, I have no doubt that conservation will be part of the solution," said association president Gene Shawcroft, . "I think whoever uses that water should pay for it."
"We have this conference to get folks together. It is my plea that we get together," he said.