Archived Water News Headlines | Colorado River Issues

The stories below were published in 2003 and 2004.  Links to the newspapers may have decayed over time.

Arizona
$20M tunnel plan would aid pumping of CAP water (September 11, 2004 - AP | Tucson Citizen) - As a drought continues to force down Lake Powell's water levels, a $20 million plan could keep the Navajo Generating Station from closing. The plant near Page was built in part to help run pumps that deliver Colorado River water to Phoenix and Tucson through the Central Arizona Project's 336-mile canal. Without the station, the CAP's power costs could increase three to five times, which would likely mean higher water prices.

Arizona
Powell's declining levels stir new worry (September 10, 2004 - Arizona Republic) - The Republic reported that operators of Navajo Generating Station near Page want to drill tunnels deep into the sandstone walls of Lake Powell before declining water levels at the drought-stricken reservoir force the power plant to shut down. The plant is in no immediate danger, but its loss would put a dent in the regional power supply, rob the Central Arizona Project of inexpensive electricity needed to keep water flowing to Phoenix and Tucson and cost the local economy hundreds of millions of dollars. Effects of a shutdown could be magnified on the power grid because if water levels dropped low enough to disable Navajo, the hydroelectric plant at the base of Glen Canyon Dam would also be unusable. Together, the two plants can generate electricity for millions of people in Arizona, Nevada and California.

The West
More Population – Less Water: America's Looming Crisis (September 7, 2004 - The Washington Dispatch) - Commentator Frosty Wooldridge argues that with increasing populations in western states, water supply is not something to be taken for granted.

Colorado
Drought, water woes linger | Storage issues, unpredictable winter loom despite recent rains (September 1, 2004 - The Coloradoan) - Faced with a severe drought and administratively ordered shutting down of wells along the South Platte, Colorado needs a long-term solution, reports the Coloradoan. One expensive option is "the Big Straw" water project, which would siphon water from the Colorado River in western Colorado and reuse it on both sides of the Continental Divide.

Colorado and the West
Deals of past haunt water's future (August 30, 2004 - Denver Post) - According to the Denver Post, the conclusions of a 10-year-old report on the impact of a prolonged water shortage ("Coping With a Severe Sustained Drought on the Colorado River") are getting a new look in Colorado. In times of drought, the playing field is not level. Under the Colorado River Compact, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and Utah suffer more than California, Nevada and Arizona. The Post states that according to the report, in simulations of an extended drought, Lake Powell goes dry, prompting downstream states to place a compact call that forces Colorado to release water for their use. In a simulated 22-year drought, existing water users in Colorado begin to get shut off at year 10. During years 18 to 22, supplies were insufficient to meet 60 percent of current demand. The Law of the River, according to the report, limits the flexibility of states to deal with a water crisis.

California
California officials announce deal to share water | Colorado River accord would end long conflict (September 7, 2003 - AP/SunSpot News) - Top officials of four Southern California agencies told a legislative panel Friday that they are committed to a 75-year agreement that helps farmers conserve water, provides more water to cities and launches an ambitious plan to restore the inland Salton Sea. Participants said it is the closest the agencies have come to settling the longtime water feuds involving six other western states.

Quantification Settlement Agreement
Secretary Norton Signs Historic Colorado River Water Pact (October 16, 2003 - DOI Press Release) - Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton today officially signed the Colorado River Water Delivery Agreement, a landmark pact that begins a new era of cooperation on the river by fulfilling a promise California made more than 70 years ago.

"This Agreement marks a historic turning point for California and the Colorado River Basin States," Norton said after signing the pact with officials of four California water agencies. "The economy and well-being of a large part of the growing West rely on critical agreements, such as this one, that allocate Colorado River water, provide assurances of long-term supplies, and clear the way for market-based transfers and other tools that are essential to meet the growing water needs of the region."  

"This Agreement marks a historic turning point for California and the Colorado River Basin States," Norton said after signing the pact with officials of four California water agencies. "The economy and well-being of a large part of the growing West rely on critical agreements, such as this one, that allocate Colorado River water, provide assurances of long-term supplies, and clear the way for market-based transfers and other tools that are essential to meet the growing water needs of the region."

Under Norton's leadership as Secretary of the Interior, California has agreed to take specific, incremental steps that will reduce its over-reliance on Colorado River water in the next 14 years, allowing the state to live within its authorized annual share of 4.4 million acre-feet. The Agreement allows the six other Colorado River Basin States to protect their authorized shares to meet future needs.

Federal, state and local officials from the Colorado River Basin States joined Norton for the signing of the pact at Hoover Dam. Norton said the venue was particularly appropriate, noting that "in 1928 Congress required California to 'irrevocably and unconditionally' agree to limit its annual use of Colorado River water to 4.4.million acre-feet, making the state's assent a condition for building this magnificent keystone of the lower Colorado River distribution system. Without California's 1929 promise, there would be no Hoover Dam."

Though California agreed to this limitation in 1929, the state has been drawing extra or surplus water from the river for the past several decades, leaving its promise to the other Colorado River Basin States and the Federal Government unfulfilled. The key to meeting California's commitment was dividing the state's 4.4 million acre-foot share among its southern farming and urban communities.

The Agreement signed today is that long-sought quantification - the Federal Quantification Settlement Agreement - that enables California to meet the needs of its citizens, urban and rural, in a manner that respects the rights of other Colorado River Basin States.

The framework to implement the quantification agreement was reached after years of difficult negotiations. In late 2000, California, the other six Basin States, and the Department of the Interior agreed on this framework, known as the Interim Surplus Guidelines. The Guidelines provided California with a choice as to how it would reduce its over-reliance on the waters of the Colorado River.

If the state met all of the Guidelines' benchmarks, it would continue to have access to extra water during the transition to its 4.4 million acre-foot limit. If California failed to meet a benchmark, it would immediately lose access to that extra water. Despite the efforts of many local, state and federal officials, California failed to meet the first major benchmark under the Interim Surplus Guidelines on Dec. 31, 2002, and automatically lost its access to the extra Colorado River water.

By executing this pact, California regains the right to access extra Colorado water over 14 years, easing its gradual reduction and lessening pressure on Northern California to send more water south. By reallocating the state's share, California also will be able to provide water for its growing cities and address the environmental concerns of the Salton Sea. The Agreement also allows farming communities in Southern California to strengthen their economies through water efficiency projects, canal modernization, conservation, and water marketing. "For the Basin States, the Agreement provides certainty, allowing them to protect their authorized allocations and meet their future water needs," Norton emphasized. "As part of this agreement, and in reliance on the promises made in the agreement, I have fully reinstated the Interim Surplus Guidelines," Norton declared. That will allow Nevada, which lost access to extra water from the Colorado River along with California, to again have access to this water and return to the long-term path it has developed to meet the needs of its growing population.

The Agreement also provides the critical water supply necessary to resolve the water rights claims of the La Jolla, Pala, Pauma, Rincon, and San Pasqual Bands of Mission Indians. "Because of the hard work, dedication, and persistence of local, state and federal negotiators over the past nine months as well as over the last decade, we are here today to execute the hard-won fruits of these Herculean labors," Norton said. "With this agreement, conflict on the river is stilled."

"To the countless people who worked long hours, sacrificed weekends away from family and sat down in good faith to make today's agreement a reality, I thank you," Norton said.. "People throughout the West thank you; and future generations in the Colorado River Basin -from the headwaters to the Lower Basin -- will enjoy the benefits of your success." Norton said the agreement also demonstrates "what can be accomplished by working cooperatively -- despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles -- and by using innovative approaches to find solutions to the water supply challenges facing communities across the West."

Related Links: Download the Quantification Settlement Agreement

Quantification Settlement Agreement
Nevada offers money to end water impasse (August 28, 2003 - The San Diego Union Tribune) - Nevada has quietly stepped in with a surprise offer of $82 million to help California seal an elusive landmark deal to share the Colorado River and bring a vast new supply of water to the San Diego region. The proposal is being touted in some circles as a possible breakthrough in the stalled talks.

California
Colorado River Water Wars (August 17, 2003 - Maryland Sunspot News) - Thirsty California, desperate for water, is willing to pay reluctant farmers billions to get some of their surplus.

Quantification Settlement Agreement
Six states oppose water deal (August 11, 2003 - Casper Star Tribune) - The conservation plan that would ease California back by some 800,000 acre-feet to a total of 4.4 million acre-feet of Colorado River water was redrafted this spring. For decades, California has made free use of unallocated waters in the system, far in excess of what interstate water compacts allow. Negotiation of the 75-year "Quantification Settlement Agreement" has been urged by the Department of Interior to address these issues -- but California must reach agreement with the other Colorado River Users, Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

Related Links: Download the Quantification Settlement Agreement

Quantification Settlement Agreement - Six States Demand Clarity from California (Aug 3-9, 3003).

The seven western states that rely on diversions from the Colorado River have been negotiating what has been known as the "Quantification Settlement Agreement, " which will be effective for 75 years. Under this settlement, California may, for the next 15 years, use surplus water from the river.

The six states must approve the settlement before the federal government will sign it. They do not approve.

In a letter drafted by Herb Guenther, Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, the states complained that the agreement has exit clauses "that will undermine its permanence or viability" and expressed fears the deal might be subject to "endless litigation." A key element of the deal is a massive water transfer from Imperial Valley farmers to San Diego. State funding provisions is another contended issue.

Interior Secretary Gale Norton is punishing California for its failure to reach an agreement by cutting its draw from the river by 15 percent. The state was supposed to have a deal last year.

Sources:
National Briefing: West (New York Times); Six states say California's water-sharing deal is unacceptable (Environmental News Network)

The West
The Law of the River - Water's War of Words (July 27, 2003 - The Daily Sentinel - At the Colorado Water Workshop in Gunnison last week, experts wondered whether the "Law of the River" was effective during times of drought. The Colorado River Compact of 1922 divides 15 million acre-feet of water equally between the river’s Upper and Lower basins. Some say this was the last great compromise between the seven basin states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Negotiated by then-Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, the river was divided between the Upper and Lower basin states. Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming would be responsible for delivering approximately half of the river’s flows to Arizona, Nevada and California. The U.S. Department of Interior oversees river uses in the Lower Basin states. It was assumed in 1922 that the river carried over 16 million acre-feet of water. In reality, there may be only 13.5 million acre-feet of water -- or less. Described as "wild cards," the amount of water needed for endangered species, to satisfy Clean Water Act standards and for future reserved Indian tribe rights will provide more pressures on the river.

California
Judge's Ruling on Water Gives Imperial Valley Farmers Hope (March 23, 2003 - The New York Times) - The federal government had ordered a cut in water supplies from the Colorado River, but a federal judge ordered the water restored to the Imperial Valley's farmers until a lawsuit over the reduction could be heard, sending a wave of optimism across the valley.

Arizona
Navajos sue U.S. over water from the Colorado River (March 17, 2003 - The Arizona Republic) - The Navajo Nation has sued the federal government over the tribe's claims to Colorado River water, a move that could unravel dozens of agreements between Arizona, Nevada, California and other Indian tribes.

California
Imperial farmers sue water board, accuse Metropolitan of stealing their water (March 15, 2003 - Sarasota Herald-Tribune) - In a move that underscores the fragility of California's day-old Colorado River water-sharing deal, a group of influential Imperial Valley farmers broke ranks and sued their water board Thursday, accusing it of mismanaging the region's massive supply of river water.

California
(March 14, 2003 - (c) Environmental News Service; posted with permission)
Quantification Settlement Negotiations
SACRAMENTO, California, March 14, 2003 (ENS) - After months of negotiations, California state officials finally agreed on a plan to address the state's use of Colorado River water. The agreement was hailed by California Governor Gray Davis, whose office convened months of meetings with state negotiators and representatives from four Southern California water agencies.

California
California drafts agreement on Colorado River water supply (March 12, 2003 - San Diego Union Tribune) - State officials met Wednesday with the Bush administration's point man on Western water issues to present what they hoped would be an agreement to protect California's supply of Colorado River water. Negotiators for Gov. Gray Davis outlined what they called "a peace treaty" between four Southern California water agencies that share Colorado River water. After the meeting, Davis called it "a major breakthrough in addressing California's long-term water needs."