The Colorado River Basin is at a defining moment: more than two decades of exceptionally hot and dry conditions coupled with decades of demand exceeding supply have pushed the system to its breaking point. The crisis that so many have long warned about is here, and some of the world’s greatest wonders – like Grand Canyon National Park – a significant portion of the country’s food production, and the lifeline of the American Southwest hang in the balance.
The Bureau of Reclamation is exploring five alternatives for the future of the river, and your participation matters.
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The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for five different management scenarios was issued in early January, launching a 45-day comment period. The DEIS was prepared by the Bureau of Reclamation to evaluate the impacts of a range of operational alternatives to inform the Secretary’s decision on operating rules for the Colorado River, which will be implemented on October 1, 2026, when the current guidelines are set to expire.
Whatever alternative the feds pursue, it is critical they Remember the River.
Though the Colorado River flows through the Southwest, it’s reach is well beyond the basin it occupies, and the course of its tenuous future stands to impact us all. The Colorado River:
- Provides water to nearly 40 million people for municipal use
- Supports the generation of hydroelectric energy annually powering the needs of approximately 700,000 homes, and nearly 50% of the Navajo Nation
- Sustains 5.5 million acres of farmland and agricultural land
- Serves as a vital cultural, economic and environmental resource for 30 Tribal Nations and the Republic of Mexico
- Is home to seven National Wildlife Refuges, four National Recreation Areas, and 11 National Parks, along with countless state parks and wildlife areas.
For over 100 years, the Colorado River has been managed by the “Law of the River,” a series of agreements, legal decisions, and treaties, all dating back to the 1922 Colorado River Compact. Unfortunately, the Compact allocated flows that haven’t been reliable since it was signed and aren’t available now. Components of the Law of the River have guided the seven states – Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada – as well as Mexico and the 30 Tribes across the Basin, as they work to share a rapidly diminishing and heavily over-allocated river. '
But a new framework is needed.
The seven Basin states have yet to come to a consensus agreement about how to manage the river going forward. Despite this, the DEIS and National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) process must move forward.
American Rivers is committed to the critical work of ensuring that the long-term health of the river remains central to whatever framework guides the management of the river going forward, but we need your help in telling Reclamation to Remember the River.
