We exam ine the Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study and what its finding might mean for the future of the lifeblood of the Southwest.
Editor’s Desk
As we get ready for our 2013 water tour field trips, I’ve been thinking of some of the unique places we visit. These tours are an opportunity to see the natural environment, view water facilities and discuss issues with the people on the ground. And the tours are fun! People from all over California and the West spend two to three days together on busses and boats, walking around sites and sharing meals together. More than one water issue has been solved or moved along by people spending this kind of time together.
Our first major trip of the year is the Lower Colorado River Tour in March. So On the Cover
A comprehensive study by the Bureau of Reclamation and the seven Basin states is looking to the future as agencies, residents and others grapples with water supply and demand imbalances.
The Water Education Foundation thanks all the sources and experts who reviewed this magazine for balance and accuracy.
The mission of the Water Education Foundation, an impartial, nonprofit organization, is to create a better understanding of water resources and foster public understanding and resolution of water resource issues through facilitation, education and outreach.
Western Water is published by the Water Education Foundation, 717 K Street, Suite 317, Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 444-6240, fax (916) 448-7699. An annual subscription to this bi-monthly magazine is $65. The balance of the Foundation’s information program may be supported by larger amounts, which are tax deductible. Printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink.
this issue of Western Water is good background for the trip. On the Colorado River, the stakeholders feud like all opposing parties but in recent years they have struck a variety of agreements beneficial to the entire Basin and Mexico. The opportunity to get a private tour of the majestic Hoover Dam alone is worth the trip. When I’m at the Dam, I like to think about author Joan Didion’s essay, Holy Water, in which she describes drawing water from her tap in Malibu and thinking of the water’s journey from the Colorado River through Hoover Dam, across the Mojave Desert eventually making its way to her faucet.
Photos
Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region Sue McClurg
Southern Nevada Water Authority
Tamarisk Coalition
Sometimes we see the fruits of decisions by stakeholders and governmental of- ficials. For example during our recent Northern California Tour in the Sacramento Valley, we saw salmon swimming in the riffles of Clear Creek, quite an inspiring sight since just a few years before the numbers of fish had declined significantly. On our San Joaquin River Restoration Tour, we visited Gravelly Ford, a portion of the river that had been dry since Friant Dam was built, and saw the river once again running its natural course due to restoration flows. This tour is a rare opportunity to see firsthand the sites involved in bringing back a major section of the river and learn about the reintroduction of salmon, farming concerns and the consequences of decisions. And, of course, I’m always struck by the breadth of issues and places covered on our Bay-Delta Tour. We follow the river flows through the Delta to San Francisco Bay and enjoy getting on the water during our ferry ride across the Bay. We also go to the U.C. Davis fish lab in the South Delta and see a Delta smelt research rearing facility. The scientists show us the delicate process of tagging and propagating the native fish that are considered key to the health of the Delta. Another tour of particular interest is our Sea to Sierra Water Tour in April. This tour is a special opportunity to view California water and discuss the key issues while traveling across the state on Amtrak’s famed California Zephyr. Participants board the train in Oakland and travel from the edge of sparkling San Francisco Bay, through the meandering channels of the Delta, past rich Central Valley farmland, growing cities, historic mining areas and into the Sierra Nevada, then drop down the mountains and ride along the Truckee River into Reno. Other tours cover the Central Valley with its rich agricultural lands and flood issues Flood Management Tour in which we look at comprehensive statewide flood issues. So make a resolution to join us on one or more of these water tours in 2013! ❖
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