Can the Colorado River continue to meet the needs in the West? What specific actions need to be taken to that end? How should we handle growth issues?
Everyone is familiar with the basic pieces of the Colorado puzzle—a heavily-used river system, a growing population, and the inherently conflicting demands of seven basin states, international treaties, the Law of the River, farmers, city dwellers and endangered species.
What are the solutions? Can needs be met through water transfers? How much of the answer involves increased conservation, and what should be the respective roles played by cities and farms? How much can be solved through better management of the Colorado River system?
How do you make them fit together in a way that ensures no one will simply walk away, or try to upend everything that’s been worked on to date?
There have been times when the parties have just stared at the puzzle from a distance, unable to confront a particularly difficult section, or debating the best approach.
Other times, the sides achieve major breakthroughs for their time. The results have included the Colorado River Compact, Hoover Dam and Lake Powell. More recently, that list included the Quantification Settlement Agreement and the seven-state agreement submitted to the Department of the Interior.
Aqueduct asked those who are closest to the action today about their efforts to make the pieces fit. Can the Colorado River continue to meet the needs in the West? What specific actions need to be taken to that end? How should we handle growth issues?
Here are their thoughts…
