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PHOENIX (AP) — For a second time, the seven Western states that rely heavily on the Colorado River have not met the deadline to devise a strategy for tackling unprecedented drought conditions and dwindling water resources.
In light of this, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo issued a joint appeal to the Upper Basin states—Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—urging them to make further compromises.
“The Colorado River is a lifeline for our communities and economies,” they emphasized. “Recent significant water conservation efforts by our states have aimed to stabilize the river basin’s resources for the future. We firmly believe that all seven basin states must equally bear the responsibility for conservation,” the governors asserted.
Arizona, California, and Nevada have proposed reducing their water usage from the Colorado River by 27%, 10%, and 17%, respectively, according to their statements.
Former Colorado Governor and current Senator John Hickenlooper, who played a key role in negotiating a river contingency plan back in 2019, described the Colorado Basin’s situation as “critical,” particularly noting the region’s scarce snowpack.
“If we don’t address this problem together –- head-on and fast –- our communities, farms, and economies will suffer. The best path forward is the one we take together. Litigation won’t solve the problem of this long-term aridification,” Hickenlooper said in a statement.
John Entsminger, the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, also expressed frustration at the lack of progress.
“The actions we have taken over the past two-plus decades are less about raising Lake Mead’s elevation than they are about protecting ourselves if things go from bad to worse,” Entsminger said in a statement.
The states previously let pass a November deadline set by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to devise a strategy to face water shortages after this year, when current guidelines will expire.
Over 40 million people across these states along with Mexico and Native American tribes rely on Colorado River water. The river is crucial to farming as well as water and electricity for millions of homes and businesses. Much of the water starts out as winter mountain snowfall in the Upper Basin, which amasses far more that way than it consumes. Lower Basin states, including agriculture-heavy regions, are bigger consumers.
Major cities including Denver, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles, are also big water consumers. Chronic overuse, drought and rising temperatures linked to climate change have lessened water flows.
How the water is allocated — especially in dry spells — and conserved has been the center of agreements among the states for decades. The original 1922 Colorado River Compact was calculated based on water amounts that doesn’t exist today, especially with the long-term drought.
The current round of negotiations among states have been going on over two years.
If no consensus can be reached, the federal government could step in and devise a plan that leaves parties dissatisfied and could even result in litigation.
Scientists recently found snow cover and snow depth in the West are at their lowest in decades. Some areas have seen their warmest December through early February. Normally, snow cover this time of year spans 460,000 square miles — about the size of California, Utah, Idaho and Montana. But, this year it is only California-sized, about 155,000 square miles, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.