As the Colorado River Declines, Some Upstream Look to Use it Before They Lose it
After 23 years of unprecedented drought, states along the Colorado River Basin are assessing options to preserve their way of life as water supplies diminish. Since 2000, water levels in the Colorado River have declined 20% due to rising temperatures, declining precipitation, and overuse. The river’s two reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, were created to provide a consistent water supply to the arid southwest, and while the reservoirs did much to support the growth of the Lower Colorado River Basin states (California, Arizona, and Nevada), they provided little benefit to the Upper Basin states (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico). Now, as negotiations commence for the 2026 Colorado River operating guidelines, the Upper Basin states are vying for their share of the river.
According to current operating agreements, each basin receives 7.5 million acre-feet annually, although this amount was determined at a time of elevated flow and exceeds the amount actually provided by the river each year.[1] Previously, the Upper Basin states had limited infrastructure to divert or store water and on average only used approximately 4.5 million acre-feet annually.[2] More recently, those states have constructed new dams and reservoirs to retain as much of their allocation as possible prior to the adoption of the new agreement with additional projects under consideration. Although not intended to divert as much as Lakes Mead or Powell, the projects’ diversions will be significant, totaling as much as the entirety of Nevada’s annual allocation.[3]
Critics of the projects protest the impact of dams and reservoirs to ecosystems, the evaporative losses incurred by reservoirs, and the increased methane emissions released by reservoirs used to generate hydropower. Others contend that the benefits and timeline of the projects are not worth the cost, one example being the Wolf Creek Reservoir project in Rangely, Colorado. As a component of the Colorado Water Plan, the objective of which is to ensure a sustainable water future for the state, the project is intended to store more of the state’s share of the Colorado River and invigorate a floundering economy. However, the project elicits backlash due to the high cost for a county with a decreasing population and only a couple thousand residents to shoulder the burden. Proponents of the projects argue that the benefit of saving water for future water emergencies is imperative and worth the cost.
Whether part of the Upper or Lower Basin, the seven states are competing to keep as much of their allocated amount as possible, and efforts to do so will likely ratchet up as the 2026 deadline approaches. Time will tell whether the shared plight will create a climate of consensus and cooperation to preserve and extend the river for all.
[1] Kann, Drew, et al. “The Colorado River’s Shortage Is a Sign of a Larger Crisis.” CNN, Cable News Network, 21 Aug. 2021, www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/08/us/colorado-river-water-shortage/.
[2] Kodas, Michael. “As the Colorado River Declines, Some Upstream Look to Use It Before They Lose It.” Inside Climate News, 13 Sept. 2023, insideclimatenews.org/news/10092023/colorado-river-upstream-use-it-before-they-lose-it-2/?utm_source=InsideClimate%2BNews&utm_campaign=31291b1c4e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_09_16_01_00&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-31291b1c4e-329842890.
[3] Kodas, Michael. “As the Colorado River Declines, Some Upstream Look to Use It Before They Lose It.” Inside Climate News, 13 Sept. 2023, insideclimatenews.org/news/10092023/colorado-river-upstream-use-it-before-they-lose-it-2/?utm_source=InsideClimate%2BNews&utm_campaign=31291b1c4e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_09_16_01_00&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-31291b1c4e-329842890.