Colorado River Basin states await federal water plan

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The seven states that make up the Colorado River Basin are waiting for the Bureau of Reclamation to release its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS,) which is expected by the end of July.

The statement will determine how much water will be available to the more than 40 million people the river serves. Experts expect the Bureau to severely reduce allocations.

“Well, there’s no way to… there’s no way to sugarcoat that. The Colorado River is tanking. The region is hurting. Many of our communities are facing mounting water insecurity,” said Kevin Moran, Associate Vice President of Regional Affairs at the Environmental Defense Fund.

Failed negotiations prompt federal action

Moran said years of overuse, combined with a warmer and drier climate, have left reservoirs at low levels. The Bureau of Reclamation gave the basin states the opportunity to reach a conservation agreement without federal intervention, but that has not happened. Negotiations are ongoing.

A lower basin proposal — between Nevada, Arizona and California — included some of the largest water cuts ever proposed on the river, but the majority of basin states rejected it. Moran called the proposal a starting point.

Nevada’s conservation record

Many experts predict the Bureau of Reclamation will impose deep cuts to each state’s water allotment. Nevada already receives the smallest share of Colorado River water among the basin states.

“Nevada has the best and leading edge conservation of any part of the Colorado River Basin. So you, the Las Vegas community, Nevada, overall, have been very good stewards of a small Colorado River resource,” Moran said.

Moran also said local water managers have pushed science-based decisions even as tougher cuts could be coming in the years ahead.

Advocates push for binding reductions

Environmental groups said they want a legally binding push to cut demand rather than short-term fixes. Moran said the region needs to move away from a cycle of depletion and crisis response.

“Well, I just would emphasize that we need to get out of the cycle of depletion and crisis response. And the only way to do that is to continue down the path of major reductions in what we take from the river,” Moran said.

“Well, I think that we need to continue down the path of making major and quantifiable commitments to take less water from the river,” Moran said.

Moran said the upcoming federal plan will show whether leaders are ready to make that shift or fall back into previous patterns. The Bureau of Reclamation’s final environmental impact statement is expected by the end of the month.