Dear Readers B


River Report is a project of the Water Education Foundation


alancing water supply and demand will never be a simple equation when it comes to the Colorado River. Te 1922 Colorado River Compact was meant to provide a basic math formula by determining who was to get how much water. But it was based on faulty hydrology and incom- plete in its calculations of water for Mexico, the environment and Indian tribes. Indeed for many years flows surplus to the immediate needs helped disguise the fact that the demands on the river exceeded its supplies.


Te past decade of drought has left no doubt that the river is over- allocated. Only the vast amount of storage provided by Hoover and Glen Canyon dams has prevented the extreme reductions in supply. Te drought also helped provide a catalyst to forging new agreements and developing innovative ways to stretch the water as the river’s users have alternated between being adversaries and partners.


Much has been accomplished but much more must be done: the projected gap under some scenarios between the supply and demand for Colorado River water could be as much as 3.2 million acre-feet by 2060. How to close that gap is the question that stakeholders have been investigating for the past several years. In this issue of River Report, writer Gary Pitzer summarizes the findings in the “Moving Forward Phase 1” report. •


– Sue McClurg


Colorado River Project Advisory Members Michael Cohen, Te Pacific Institute John Entsminger, Southern Nevada Water Authority Amy Haas, New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission Robert Johnson, Water Strategies Jeff Kightlinger, MWD of Southern California James Lochhead, Denver Water 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 Trujillo, Colorado River Board of California Gary Weatherford, California Public Utilities Commission


Writer Gary Pitzer


Editors Jennifer Bowles Sue McClurg


Editorial Assistant Susan Lauer


Photos Jennifer Bowles Katie Buchan, USGS Bureau of Reclamation Central Arizona Project Sue McClurg U.S. Environmental Protection Agency


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


2 • Colorado River Project • River Report • Summer 2015


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