A Word or Two about Water
The vast majority of water on the Earth is saline and can't be used directly. Freshwater is only 3% of the world's total water supply.
Freshwater is a finite resource that's becoming increasingly scarce. Only ~1% of freshwater is easily accessible in lakes, rivers, and wetlands. Most freshwater is found in the ground.
The Colorado River Basin
The Colorado River Basin (CRB) is home to around 40 million people and nearly 5 million acres of farmland that support an economy valued at about $1.4 Trillion. Recognizing the need to guarantee access to fresh water, the Colorado River Compact was enacted in 1922 to distribute water between the Upper and Lower Colorado River Basin states. Each basin was allocated 7.5 Million acre-feet (MAF) of water per year. An additional 1.5 MAF was allocated to two states in Mexico - Baja California and Sonora - through a treaty in 1944.
In 1922, the US Supreme Court established the law of prior appropriation as the legal means by which water rights were allocated in much of the American West. Under the Law of Prior Appropriation, the first person to use a water source for a beneficial purpose maintains the first right of use. This applied regardless of state boundaries. This serves as the basis for the Law of the River that establishes the relationship between the Upper and Lower Colorado River Basin states.
Beneficial uses generally include industry, agricultural, and domestic consumption. In 1963, the US Supreme Court gave the US Department of the Interior to establish the definition of "beneficial use" when deciding a dispute between Arizona and California.
The CRB has experienced a 20+ year-long drought that's depleted major water supplies - including Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Drought conditions have been exacerbated by rapid population growth and climate change.
Water in the CRB comes largely from snow melt in the Upper CRB states (WY, CO, UT, and NM). The majority of water in the CRB is used to support agriculture. The exact percentage of water used in agriculture varies widely depending on the data source - reports range from 56 to 80%. Alfalfa, winter vegetables, almonds, and cattle are major agricultural commodities produced in the CRB.
Hydropower is a substantial source of electric power in the CRB. The 17 turbines at Hoover Dam are rated to produce ~4.2 BILLION kW-hr each day! Any reduction in the level of water in Lake Mead will have an adverse impact on electric power production. As the pool level goes down, power production may cease.
The Bigger Picture
The Water - Energy - Food Nexus
The slow-rolling water crisis in the southwestern US is a clear example of the ways in which the abundance of and access to water is integrally related to our ability to produce food and energy. In particular, it's important to realize that water is the rate-limiting factor in this relationship. Others have suggested expanding the WEF concept to include climate for reasons that continue to be apparent. While the WEF Nexus began as a framework for policy analysis and sustainability planning, its utility in demonstrating the importance of water to every part of modern human life is likely one key to raising awareness and, hopefully, action.
Water - Energy - Food Nexus
The slow-rolling water crisis in the southwestern US is a clear example of the ways in which the abundance of and access to water is integrally related to our ability to produce food and energy. In particular, it's important to realize that water is the rate-limiting factor in this relationship. Others have suggested expanding the WEF concept to include climate for reasons that continue to be apparent. While the WEF Nexus began as a framework for policy analysis and sustainability planning, its utility in demonstrating the importance of water to every part of modern human life is likely one key to raising awareness and, hopefully, action.
A Way Forward ...
Two main approaches can be used to meet the need for water in the west:
- Reduce water consumption inside the CRB.
- Find new water sources from outside the basin.
Of course, a combination of these two approaches could also be used.
Reducing Water Consumption
In June 2022, the Director of the US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) gave CRB states 60 days to develop a plan to cut their water consumption by 2 to 4 MAF (a fraction of the 9 MAF recommended by some scientists). The deadline passed and no plan was developed. CRB states now face mandatory water reductions starting in January 2023.
In response to previous threats of federal intervention in 2005 and 2019, CRB states have agreed to limit their water use. However, these agreements have resulted in limited action. While there is some talk of extending the time needed to negotiate another "solution," water levels continue to drop.
The current state of water conservation in the CRB was summarized by an attendee at the Annual Colorado Colorado River District’s Water Seminar:
“I think the honest answer is right now there is no plan,” J.B. Hamby, Imperial Irrigation District, CA, in response to an audience question about how significant cutbacks would be achieved. (September 22, 2022)
The relatively low focus on reducing water use was recently demonstrated in the "water security" bill that was signed into law in Arizona in July 2022. In this legislation, $1 BILLION was allocated to "augment water supplies" while $200 MILLION ($0.2 BILLION) was designated for water conservation efforts.
Part 2 ...
Meeting the need for water in the Lower Colorado River Basin -https://express.adobe.com/page/060SM8kdil7nM/
To learn more about our work on this issue please visit www.wiu.edu/ies or download our paper at http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.21177.44640.
Select References
- https://www.usgs.gov/centers/utah-water-science-center/science/colorado-river-basin-studies
- https://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/
- https://www.lincolninst.edu/our-work/babbitt-center-land-water-policy/programs-projects
- https://www.cpr.org/2022/09/17/colorado-river-drought-basin-states-water-restrictions/
- https://trackbill.com/bill/arizona-house-concurrent-memorial-2004-floodwater-harvesting-study-urging-congress/1991520
- https://www.azleg.gov/press/house/55LEG/1R/210511DUNNHCM2004.pdf
- https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/373/546/
- https://www.fao.org/land-water/water/watergovernance/waterfoodenergynexus/en/
Credits:
Created with images by Tomasz Zajda - "Lake Mead" • Brian Jackson - "Legal law concept statue of Lady Justice with scales of justice sky background" • MichaelVi - "Record low water level of shrinking Lake Mead, key reservoir along Colorado River, amid severe drought in the American West." • Oligo - "Herd of cows in the pasture" • brettdurrant - "Hoover Dam" • scharfsinn86 - "dry cracked earth" • cacaroot - "legislation label on document folder"