News

Colorado River Basin — Today, the Bureau of Reclamation published a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) evaluating alternatives to address the Colorado River crisis.

“This is a critical moment for the river and the 35 million people who depend on it. Unless we come up with a proactive and comprehensive management plan, the West could see reservoir levels crash in the coming years and could even struggle to keep water flowing through the Grand Canyon,” said John Berggren, regional policy manager at Western Resource Advocates. “This year’s current low snowpack poses an immediate risk to the system, highlighting the need for a long-term plan that goes beyond crisis management.”

WRA supports several management strategies considered in the DEIS, including:

• Embedding protections for fish and wildlife into river management by including ecosystem impacts in reservoir operating plans, developing mitigation plans to protect river health and supporting agreements to protect the Colorado River Delta.
• Basing river management on the best available data, which includes considering how much water is flowing in the river and stored across major reservoirs. This will help avoid emergency water cuts and provide greater predictability for our communities.
• Promoting water conservation and creating a flexible water savings account to maximize the benefits of every drop saved. This account would support communities in dry years, while allowing water to be moved between lakes Powell and Mead to protect infrastructure and river flows in the Grand Canyon.

The DEIS follows years of stalled negotiations between the states that share the river. The delays have left communities without a path forward. We are encouraged to see Reclamation making progress toward new management guidelines despite the stalemate.

Reclamation will be accepting public comments on the DEIS beginning on January 16. A final record of decision will be issued this summer. WRA experts are currently reviewing the DEIS and are available for comment.