U.S. Water News Online
PHOENIX -- Water managers from seven western states failed to reach agreement on a drought-management plan for the Colorado River in meetings that ended in Las Vegas.
Instead, the managers agreed to sit down again several times next month in hopes of crafting a plan for the river's water supply in drought years that will meet a February federal deadline.
Last year, Interior Department Secretary Gale Norton told those meeting at the yearly Colorado River Water Users Association they needed to come up with a plan or she would impose one developed by the federal government.
The water officials from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and California are trying to hammer out a deal that would allocate water from the river when flows are low and reservoirs can't supply normal amounts to each state.
In a message played for delegates, Norton said they must work to keep their differences from reaching a courtroom, "an undesirable and unacceptable result." She warned that if they want to retain control of the water, they'll need to get along.
"It's simple: Water flows," said Bob Johnson, director of the Bureau of Reclamation's lower Colorado River region. "Somebody's got to open and close the gates on the reservoirs. If the states don't get a consensus, the river still has to be operated and the secretary will have to make decisions."
The delegates meeting in Las Vegas this week were trying to formalize plans to cut back water deliveries when levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead fall below a certain level.
If a drought forces a cutback, Arizona would be the first state to lose water. Nevada has agreed to share in the cutbacks, but the two states want others to lose deliveries as well.
The meeting was "the most open discussion we've had," said Sid Wilson, general manager of the Central Arizona Project. "I won't say all the big issues have been addressed, but we're making progress."
Among the topics being discussed was a proposal by Colorado and the other upper river states who are floating a plan that would pay farmers there to stop growing some crops in lean times. That would cost millions, but there is a federal pilot program in the works.
Arizona and Nevada officials want to come up with ways to add to the river's flow, using cloud seeding, conservation measures and even a desalination plant for agricultural runoff in southwestern Arizona.
Environmental groups have their own agenda, wanting more say in developing plans for dealing with shortages. They weren't invited to the water users meeting.
"In order to find a true and lasting solution to these problems, the states need to open the doors to other interests," said Jennifer Pitt, a senior analyst with Environmental Defense. "There's still time to include those interests and come up with a solution that can help everyone."
State water officials don't want to expand their discussions beyond themselves and 10 Indian tribes already at the table, instead saying others can give their views to the federal government.
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