The water flows will not add any more water to Lake Mead than otherwise scheduled for 2023, according to the feds. "The reality is, we'll probably be taking more of our summers off. Theres a problem of aridification. Steve Benson returned to the family business, Benson Farms in Brawley, Calif., after a career in engineering and real estate. Amid Dire Colorado River Outlook, States Plan to Tap Their Lake Mead In September, Nasdaq and CME Group, the worlds largest derivatives marketplace, announced plans to open a futures market for California water, joining it with commodities like Brent crude oil and soybeans. California split from the six states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming on Tuesday in the face of a U.S. government deadline to negotiate their own supply cuts or face possible mandatory cutbacks by the federal government. In the Colorado River Basin as a whole, which services about 40 million people in seven states and is overtaxed to the point that it rarely ever reaches the ocean anymore, that number is 55%. Lower Colorado River Authority - Wikipedia David Morris, the water utility spokesman for the city and county, said the Colorado River water has allowed the region to wean itself off of unsustainable groundwater pumping. "We have a situation where some of the water rights holders in California are saying, 'We're not willing to give up more water, and we think we have legal rights and we're willing to go to court if we have to'," said David Hayes, a lecturer at Stanford University Law School. Californias cuts dont kick in until later essentially a gamble on good hydrology once again helping us avoid conflict by letting us use more water in the short term, Fleck wrote on his blog. The six states made their case in a letter to the Bureau of Reclamation on Monday. According to water-policy professionals I spoke to, investors are already lobbying for it. Arizona faces steeper cuts at 592,000 acre-feet (21 percent) of its . ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Colorado River tributaries in New Mexico bring water to the alfalfa fields in the Four Corners and the forested hills of the Gila wilderness in the southwestern part of the state. Who are the top 5 consumers of the water of the Colorado River? Lake Mead to rise one foot by Sunday after federal 'high flow' water Biden should not let Venezuelas regime run out the clock on democracy, Floridas surgeon general played loose with facts about vaccine risk, in negotiations with the seven states affected. List of United States electric companies - Wikipedia Were not going to wreck our local economy so that they can continue to grow their urban economy.. Steve Benson, managing partner of Benson Farms, points out a neighbor's field where a crew is planting lettuce. "Instead of eight cuttings of alfalfa, we might turn off the water in the summer and dry up the field, and let it come back in the fall," Benson says. Mr. The dry period has lasted more than two decades, draining the major reservoirs along the river. In 2006, Pueblo West agreed to irrigate and revive the land. All rights reserved. Dec. 13, 2022, at 6:19 a.m. Colorado River Water Users Convening Amid Crisis Concerns. WAM has become one of the largest landholders in the Grand Valley, a high-mountain desert on the Western Slope of the Rockies, 250 miles west of Denver. The Imperial Irrigation District draws enough water from the river each year to cover 470,000 acres with 5 feet of water. Investor interest in the river could redefine century-old rules for who controls one of the most valuable economic resources in the United States. Interior Department has said it will engage with tribes in the basin as parties hammer out some management details of the compact that are set to expire after 2026. The Colorado River is tapped out. 2002, 2018 and 2021 are the most intense dry periods on record for the basin. As of Wednesday morning, the surge of water released from the Glen Canyon Dam has reached Lake Mead, KTLA's sister station KLAS reports. California receives the most Colorado River water at 4.4 million acre-feet. Want to know how your actions can help make a difference for our planet? What top five states have rivers? In the last 10 years, the price of water there has gone up more than eightfold. Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Scotland on Monday for a short trip to visit his golf courses in the country and in Ireland. In a general, larger picture, its a national park, and the way the river was before the dam came in has changed a lot, Tusso said. We stand behind the priority system on the river, and we also understand that theres painful cuts that people need to make. The California proposal makes a constructive effort to uphold the Law of the River while making substantial efforts to protect the Colorado River system with voluntary reductions far beyond Californias legal obligations, JB Hamby, chairman of the Colorado River Board of California, wrote in the introduction to the plan. Top 5 US Consumers California is the largest consumer of water in the US. hide caption. More frustrating for those trying to solve the Wests dire water problems, if water runs out, because of those generous rights granted a century ago, the metropolises will have to turn off their taps before the old farms. But for more than a hundred years, millions of people have relied on the water that flows into the Colorado River from the Rocky Mountain snowpack. On a map, this is the very top of the Gulf of California. And crisis drives change.. The idea is, if you pay the farmers enough, theyll go away, said Brad Udall, a water and climate researcher at Colorado State University whose family have been lawmakers in the region for 60 years. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. The way the markets were set up left them open to being gamed.. The ultimate goal of this high-flow experiment is to move sand and sediment along the Colorado River. Its the rural counties going up against big money., Grady Gammage Jr., a spokesman for Greenstone, said, In my view there is enough water both to sustain a significant agricultural economy on the river and to support urban growth in central Arizona.. The U.S. EL CENTRO, Calif. A few hundred farms in the southern tip of California, along the Mexican border, may hold the key to saving the drought-plagued Colorado River from collapse. 2. Andrew Leimgruber grows alfalfa and vegetables on his family's farm in the Imperial Valley. That would be a disaster. "On the one hand, you have the most disadvantaged community, but in the same community you have some of the richest farmers!" Researchers at the New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center in Farmington, N.M., works with alfalfa on July 22, 2020. The emergence of open markets could outpace the negotiations. Under existing Colorado River agreements, that condition means starting next year, Nevada will have its water allotment cut by 25,000 acre-feet (8 percent). In the last few years, a new force has emerged: From the Western Slope of the Rockies to Southern California, a proliferation of private investors like Greenstone have descended upon isolated communities, scouring the driest terrain in the United States to buy coveted water rights. At the moment, though, the dismal vista remains: What had once been a flourishing meadow lined with cottonwoods and willows now looked like a giant abandoned lot. This allowed water to flow through the canal powered solely by gravity. IID laid claim to water from the Colorado River before cities like Phoenix and Tucson showed up. He believes that the last best hope against the drought is a market-based solution, one that allows private investors seeking a profit a significant hand in redrawing the map of water distribution in the West. The system of tunnels and dams at the New Mexico state line diverts water into the Rio Grande Basin. Increasing Pressures on Colorado River Water in New Mexico - US News Ultimately, we argued against it, he said. But if you know one tribe, you only know one tribe. But over the last two decades, the actual flow has dwindled to 12.5 million acre-feet on average, leaving state water managers with more rights on paper than existing supply. It wasnt just the drought: Californias crops had shifted from low-value seasonal vegetables like lettuce and bell peppers to permanent non-staples, like almonds, that were so valuable that it was no longer economical for farmers to sell water to cities, even as prices spiked. T. Boone Pickens, the Texas oilman who died in 2019, was an early evangelist of water buys. This modeling proposal is a key step in the ongoing dialogue among the Seven Basin States as we continue to seek a collaborative solution to stabilize the Colorado River system, Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, said in a statement. Dan Charles for NPR he says. It's now more salty than the ocean, heavily contaminated with agricultural runoff, and shrinking. Sign up for the Climate Coach newsletter, in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday. Flows during the past 23-year period are the lowest in the past 120 years and (among) the lowest in more than 1,200 years, Bunk told the webinar audience. (c) 2023 KGNU News Boulder Community Broadcast Association, If The Colorado River Were A Bank Account, We Ran Out Of Cash More Than 20 Years Ago, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), https://kgnu-news.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/4-27-23AK_ColoradoRiver.mp3, Seicento Baroque Ensemble Brings Landmark Performance to Colorado with Bach's, "St. John Passion", Colorado Tax Payers Gave Away A Lot Of This Year's TABOR Rebates To A Handful Of Wealthy Coloradans, After Deadly Prom Night Crash, This Year Boulder Parents Are Organizing After Prom Parties And Safe Rides Homes, Somatic Psychotherapist Speaks On The Art Of Healing Ceremonies, Fernanda Nieto Plays A Mean Piano & Speaks On Lack Of Diversity, Poet Exposes Injustices & Promotes Self-Love. A prolonged 21-year warming and drying trend is pushing the . LAS VEGAS (AP) Living with less water in the U.S. Southwest is the focus this week for state and federal water administrators, tribal officials, farmers, academics and business representatives meeting about the drought-stricken and overpromised Colorado River. Copyright 2022 TheAssociated Press. Running southwest from the Rocky Mountains to Mexicos Gulf of California, the river runs through seven states in the American West. All rights reserved. As Colorados water commissioner, he piloted a demand-management program and was known for crisscrossing Colorados back roads to convince skeptical farmers of the benefits of the approach. Clay Electric Cooperative. PHOENIX (CN) On the heels of one of the wettest Arizona winters in history, federal, state, local and tribal leaders united Thursday to announce a total of $233 million in funding for water conservation agreements to aid the Gila River Indian Community and other Colorado River users. You know, we in the water business have done a great job of saying, Waters the next oil, youve got to watch out, its going to be so valuable, he added. The term consultation gets thrown around in the basin a whole lot, Vigil said. Theyre going to try to break up the system.. The effect has been dramatic on a vast river basin where the math never added up: The amount of water it receives doesn't meet the amount that is promised. Mr. Driving across the expanse, where the temperature often hovers near 115 degrees, I found myself comforted by the sight of an oncoming eighteen-wheeler carrying bales of hay, which at least implied the existence of something living where I was headed. Updated: Apr 26, 2023 / 01:55 PM PDT. Associated Press journalists Brittany Peterson in Denver, Sam Metz in Salt Lake City and Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona, contributed to this report. "The droughts that we are seeing are becoming that much more severe because of the temperature component, they're warmer," Bolinger said. The proposal begins with a 400,000 acre-foot cut, as previously offered, and continues with additional reductions as the reservoir declines toward levels where power generation would be threatened. The proposal would result in about 2 million acre-feet of cuts the low end of what the federal government has asked for and would be largest for the biggest consumers of water: California and Arizona. The whole history of the American West is about moving water, Mr. Gammage of Greenstone said. One of the things I think weve learned over time is that a resource like water is best allocated through kind of a combination of market forces and regulatory oversight., He added, The market would say water is far more valuable serving urban populations.. Beef cattle are the top agricultural product of Imperial County. [1/3]An aerial view of Lake Powell is seen, where water levels have declined dramatically as growing demand for water and climate change shrink the Colorado River in Page, Arizona, U.S., November 19, 2022. Tags: Associated Press, New Mexico, Wyoming, natural disasters, Colorado, Nevada, California, allergies, Arizona, Utah. The All-American Canal carries water from the Imperial Dam, on the Colorado River near Yuma, Ariz., to a series of smaller distribution canals in the Imperial Valley. The compact contains a fail-safe mechanism if the river runs too low. The Biden administration helped pave the way for that offer by pledging $250 million for environmental projects to address the dust-ravaged shorelines around the Salton Sea, Californias largest lake, thats fed by agricultural runoff from the Imperial Valley. Other fields are covered with alfalfa or grass that will become feed for cattle. As reservoir levels drop, the document suggests California, which has rights to 4.4 million acre-feet of water, would need to cut more than 1 million acre-feet. Another supporter is Michael Burry, the hedge fund manager portrayed by Christian Bale in The Big Short, who made more than $800 million shorting the subprime mortgage market in the mid-2000s. States come up with plan to save Colorado River water It sold those to owners unaware of their obligation to revegetate the land, now without access to water. Access to it can make or break both cities and rural communities. He remains unidentified. The interested players range from financial firms to university endowments to investor groups, including at least two in Colorado led by former governors. When started, they were hailed as a fast, flexible way of redistributing water on the driest inhabited continent, with little regulation attached. 'The brink of disaster': 2023 is a critical year for the Colorado River That a lush hay farm had once been here seemed hard to believe. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in June told the seven states that are part of the Colorado River Basin Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming to determine how to use at least 15% less water next year, or have restrictions imposed on them. Restoring the Colorado: Bringing New Life to a Stressed River WAM, based in New York and San Francisco, invests broadly in water-related ventures, and one of its core businesses is collecting water rights in arid states like Arizona and Colorado. Surge of Colorado River water reaches Lake Mead - ktla.com The price had risen tenfold in a matter of months. They're trying to jump on the market early and have the first lettuce to be harvested.". Interior officials did not issue any mandatory water cuts for New Mexico. Geography was the key. What is new is for private investors in this case an investment fund in Phoenix, with owners on the East Coast to exert that power. We went harder and faster than anyone and let the market rip, said Stuart Kells, a professor at La Trobe Business School in Melbourne. hide caption. A few years ago a firm called Greenstone, a subsidiary of a subsidiary of the financial-services conglomerate MassMutual, quietly bought the rights to most of Cibolas water. That would be: Were basically going to put all the cuts on the major share of the economy. In 2003, under pressure from the federal government, IID agreed to transfer about 10 percent of its total allotment of water each year to San Diego and another neighboring water district. Agricultural interests got the biggest share. (AP Photo/John Locher, File), determine how to use at least 15% less water, restricting the planting of decorative lawns, Trump PAC Complaint Against DeSantis Rejected in Florida, North Carolina AG Urges Public Safety, Law Enforcement Bills, 7 Bodies Found During Search for Missing Oklahoma Teens. Feds Will Cut States' Access to Colorado River Water If nothing changes, within a few years, Lake Mead would drop to a level called "dead pool" and water would stop flowing through Hoover Dam. They cant follow the priority system. By the end of May, Lake Mead will reach 1,051 feet. He also pointed out that unlike the private investors who quietly, quickly and pseudonymously bought up valuable property in the Wests notorious land grabs like the acquisition of the Owens River rights by the City of Los Angeles WAM has purchased water rights in its own name. Dan Charles for NPR All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton this year tasked Colorado River states with creating an ambitious conservation plan. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Adel Hagekhalil, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California general manager, warned this month in a statement that another dry winter could force officials to make voluntary measures mandatory. Living with less water in the U.S. Southwest is the focus for a conference starting Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, in Las Vegas, about the drought-stricken and overpromised Colorado River. A few of the fields are shrouded by showers of water delivered from long lines of sprinklers. One draft plan that's circulating among irrigation districts proposes annual payments of $1,500 per acre almost $1.4 billion in total in exchange for cutting water use by roughly 20 percent on almost a million acres of farmland. But from the perspective of other states even those cuts wouldnt be nearly enough. Water Law in Colorado States that receive more rainfall and precipitation logically have lower water usage. Arizona, by contrast, is entitled to 2.8 million acre-feet of Colorado River water every year. The high-tech market there services Denver and other cities, fueling development in some of the fastest-growing housing markets in the country. The Colorado River Compact was signed in 1922 just 10 years after New Mexico became a state. Demand management, as the policy is known, is an attempt to solve the so-called wrong places problem and free up water from agriculture and reroute it to urban uses and conservation. Agricultural water use makes up nearly 80% of total water consumption in the Colorado River basin, with roughly half of that going toward the production of alfalfa hay, according to a 2020. In addition, those states are getting a hand from scientists at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. Water markets have been called a paradise for arbitrage, an approach in which professionals use trading speed and access to information for profit. California, despite using more water than any state, is the remaining holdout. Many call conservation crucial. Its pretty tough right now.. hide caption. Lake Powell in Big Water, Utah. California on Tuesday submitted its own proposal for how reductions should play out in coming years, depending on the elevation in Lake Mead. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. Thats the dilemma looking at how we can reduce demand with as soft a blow as possible, Hamman said. I have seen time and again the wisdom of using incentives that attract private sector investment and innovation, Mr. Eklund said. Farmers, however, would almost certainly challenge such an order in court. Otherwise, the state has to invest in the whole thing and pay the opportunity cost of just having that water sitting there.. The snowpack in the Rocky Mountains, the main source of runoff that feeds the Colorado River system, is also higher than normal but not by as much as in California. The proponents of water markets say they are not in it just for the money. Sept. 14, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. Increasing Pressures on Colorado River Water in New Mexico. Imperial Valley farmers like Andrew Leimgruber, for their part, argue that they have a legal right to all of this water. It would never reach the canal that supplies Imperial Valley. Thanks to the Colorado River, which meanders through town, Cibola is a verdant oasis that chatters at dusk with swooping birds. Six of the seven Colorado River basin states sketched out a joint proposal for how they could meet the federal governments demand to make unprecedented cuts to water usage as more than two decades of drought in the West have pushed crucial reservoirs to dangerously low levels. 30 water suppliers pledge to address Colorado River shortage - Los Its not necessarily a new concept in parts of Southern California, farmers have been paid for more than a decade to fallow land. Marc Catlin, a third-generation farmer who represents western Colorado in the General Assembly, said, A farmers property is their 401(k).. Understanding California's relationship with Colorado River Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. If you're reading this, the chances are that some (or all!) He said an investor like WAM could help combat drought by creating its own storage account in Lake Powell. Despite predictions for more such atmospheric rivers, of growing size and frequency, California cannot solve its long-term crisis without major investments to capture more storm water, restore flood plains and recycle wastewater. Farmland meets the desert, separated by an irrigation canal, near Fruita, Colo. Researchers at the New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center in Farmington, N.M., works with . The market in the Colorado-Big Thompson Project is also nimble and responsive. Although California was deluged for weeks from late in December by seven atmospheric rivers that dumped up to 30 inches (76 cm) of rain over some areas, little of that reached the Colorado River basin. Roughly 180,000 people, most of them Mexican-American, live here in towns that include El Centro, Calexico, and Brawley. Close to 40 million people use water from the Colorado River. These farmers, in Imperial County, currently draw more water from the Colorado River than all of Arizona and Nevada combined. Touton said the states need to conserve an additional 2 to 4 million acre-feet of water next year to protect levels at Lake Powell in Arizona and Utah and Lake Mead in Nevada and Arizona.
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