Colorado River conservation program gains bipartisan support

Colorado River near Fish Towers, Utah
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January 27, 2025 — A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper and Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, reintroduced the Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension ActOpens in a new tab. on January 21, 2025. The bill seeks to extend the System Conservation Pilot Program (SCPP) through 2026, allowing Upper Basin states to explore innovative water conservation strategies in response to ongoing drought conditions.

The SCPP was initially launched to combat severe drought in the Colorado River Basin, a vital water source for millions in the western United States. The program encourages stakeholders, including farmers, ranchers, and communities, to adopt creative solutions to conserve water. Its funding and authorization expired in December 2024, making the bill’s reauthorization critical for its continuation.

“The Colorado River’s survival depends on our ability to adapt to a drier future,” said Senator HickenlooperOpens in a new tab.. “With SCPP, we spend less time hand-wringing and more energy finding innovative ways to conserve the West’s most precious resource.”

Securing the Colorado River’s Future

The proposed legislationOpens in a new tab. is co-sponsored by Senators Michael Bennet (CO), Cynthia Lummis (WY), and Representatives John Curtis (UT) and Harriet Hageman (WY). Together, they emphasize the importance of the program for supporting communities, agriculture, and the environment across the region.

  • Senator Barrasso highlighted the program’s benefits for farmers and ranchers, saying, “Programs like the System Conservation Pilot Project provide our farmers and ranchers with resources to conserve water in the Colorado River and lakes they depend on.”
  • Senator Bennet called for urgent action, noting that “drought wreaks havoc on the Colorado River system.”
  • Representative Curtis underscored the program’s impact in Utah, where 60% of residents rely on the Colorado River, saying, “Our legislation enables Upper Colorado River Basin states like Utah to continue conservation efforts to maintain the River’s vitality.”

A History of Conservation

The SCPP received $125 million in 2023 under the Inflation Reduction Act, enabling the Bureau of Reclamation and the Upper Colorado River Commission to implement water conservation projects. However, the program’s authorization to spend funds lapsed at the end of 2024. Efforts to pass an extension bill in 2024 stalled in the House, leaving the program in limbo until this new legislation.

The urgency for action stems from decades of drought that have pushed Lake Powell and Lake Mead, two critical reservoirs, to dangerously low levels. Hickenlooper, who helped negotiate the 2019 Colorado River Basin Drought Contingency Plan, emphasized that extending the SCPP is essential for sustaining the region’s water supply.

“The West leads the nation in cutting-edge water conservation and management practices,” said Senator Lummis. “Forward-thinking approaches like the System Conservation Pilot Project deliver critical water conservation resources to ranchers and farmers throughout the Cowboy State.”

Next Steps

With bipartisan support, lawmakers are optimistic about passing the bill this year. However, funding for the program must be renewed to ensure that conservation efforts can continue. As the 1922 Colorado River Compact and other long-term water management agreements face scrutiny, programs like the SCPP play a vital role in shaping the future of water use in the West.

Deborah

Since 1995, Deborah has owned and operated LegalTech LLC with a focus on water rights. Before moving to Arizona in 1986, she worked as a quality control analyst for Honeywell and in commercial real estate, both in Texas. She learned about Arizona's water rights from the late and great attorney Michael Brophy of Ryley, Carlock & Applewhite. Her side interests are writing (and reading), Wordpress programming and much more.

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