Dear Readers W


River Report is a project of the Water Education Foundation


ith all of the recent talk centering around California’s drought, it may be easy to forget the water woes along the mighty Colorado River even though it’s in the midst of a 14-year drought. Perhaps most significant, the water level in Lake Mead – the nation’s largest reservoir – dropped this past summer to the lowest level since it was first filled in the 1930s. Hydropower operations could be impacted if levels continue to drop at Lake Mead and upstream at Lake Powell, both well below 50 percent. But perhaps even more significant is the fact that officials for the first time are talking about funding new water conservation programs in the Colorado River system for the sole sake of saving that water for the system at large. Unlike previous programs, any water saved won’t have an agency’s name on it so they can pull it out later when needed. You can read more about this interesting development in our latest issue of River Report.


And readers can learn first-hand about the operations of the river and issues surrounding the “lifeblood of the Southwest” during the Water Education Foundation’s Lower Colorado River tour March 11-13. Attendees will take a private tour of Hoover Dam and learn about U.S.-Mexico border issues, endangered species, the Salton Sea and tribal water rights as the tour winds along the river. You can find more information at www.watereducation.org/general-tours. •


– Jennifer Bowles


Colorado River Project Advisory Members Michael Cohen, Pacific Institute Gordon “Jeff” Fassett, HDR Engineering, Inc. Bob Johnson, Water Consult Jeff Kightlinger, MWD of Southern California James Lochhead, Denver Water Estevan Lopez, New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission David Modeer, Central Arizona Project Don Ostler, Upper Colorado River Commission Jennifer Pitt, Environmental Defense Fund Stanley M. Pollack, Navajo Nation Department of Justice Maureen Stapleton, San Diego County Water Authority Tanya M. Trujillo, Colorado River Board of California Gary Weatherford, California Public Utilities Commission


2 • Colorado River Project • River Report • Winter 2014-2015


Writer Gary Pitzer


Editors Jennifer Bowles Sue McClurg


Editorial Assistant Susan Lauer


Photos Bureau of Reclamation Imperial Irrigation District NASA Southern Nevada Water Authority


Graphics and Layout Curt Leipold, Graphic Communications


Te Water Education Foundation thanks all the sources and experts who reviewed this newsletter for balance and accuracy.


Te mission of the Water Education Foundation, an impartial, nonprofit organization, is to create a better under- standing of water resources and foster public understanding and resolution of water resource issues through facilitation, education and outreach.


Water Education Foundation 1401 21st


Street, Suite 200


Sacramento, CA 95811 (916) 444-6240 fax (916) 448-7699 feedback@watereducation.org www.watereducation.org www.aquapedia.com


President William R. Mills


Executive Director Jennifer Bowles


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