Actions Support Commitment to Protect Colorado River System
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 4, 2024
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Colorado River water users in California have together voluntarily conserved more than 1.2 million acre-feet of water in just two years, adding the water to Lake Mead to help stabilize the reservoir during historic drought conditions, according to figures released today.
The achievements, reported during a meeting of the Colorado River Board of California during this year’s Colorado River Water Users Association’s conference, result from the implementation of a series of conservation agreements in 2023 and 2024, along with agencies storing conserved water in Lake Mead. The agreements involve the Bard Water District, Coachella Valley Water District, Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, Imperial Irrigation District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Palo Verde Irrigation District, San Diego County Water Authority, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
California agencies committed in late 2022 to contribute a total of 1.6 million acre-feet of water to Lake Mead by the end of 2026. After just two years, the state has already reached 75 percent of its commitment – with 500,000 acre-feet of water conserved in 2024 and 700,000 acre-feet saved in 2023, resulting in the equivalent of 16 feet of water being added to Lake Mead. California agencies and tribes have programs in place to exceed the remaining 400,000 acre-feet of promised conservation by the end of 2026.
These efforts have not only improved levels in Lake Mead, but through coordinated operations, they have benefitted the Upper Basin by reducing required Lake Powell releases. They have provided much-needed stability to the entire system as the seven Basin states work with the federal government and Basin tribes to create a post-2026 operations plan for the river.
Reclamation has supported these conservation efforts through the Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program, funded from a portion of the $4 billion for western drought relief in the Inflation Reduction Act. Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton joined state agency leaders in Las Vegas today to acknowledge their accomplishments during the annual Colorado River Water Users Association conference.
“In two years, Californians have plunged our uses to their lowest levels since the 1940s, all while supporting half the Basin’s entire population and a plurality of the Basin’s farm production,” said JB Hamby, chairman of the Colorado River Board of California and Colorado River Commissioner for California. “Every user, sector, state, and Basin must do their part to protect this river. No one has shown that more than California’s cities, farms, and tribes.”
The water savings over the past two years were produced through on-farm conservation programs, temporary and seasonal land-fallowing programs, curtailment of replenishment water for groundwater basins, turf replacement programs, and urban water efficiency efforts.
“California will continue to relentlessly protect the Colorado River through conservation and collaboration. Actions speak louder than words, and we are proud to lead by example on the river,” Hamby continued.
The 1.2 million acre-feet saved by California over the past two years builds on decades of work by water users in the state to cut their use of Colorado River water. Urban and agricultural water users have successfully lowered their annual use by 800,000 acre-feet since 2002, through investments in water efficient farming practices, seasonal fallowing and deficit irrigation programs, canal lining, turf replacement programs in cities, and other conservation programs. These efforts have significantly reduced California’s draw on the Colorado River, which have helped stabilize Lake Mead’s level and move us a step closer towards a sustainable Colorado River system.
The Colorado River Basin is the most important water source in the West, providing water for more than 40 million people and generating hydropower in seven U.S. states. It is a crucial resource for 30 Tribal Nations and two states in Mexico, while supporting 5.5 million acres of agriculture, along with important ecosystems and endangered species. During the last 25 years, the flow in the Colorado River has been 20% lower than during the 20th century.
“IID continues to prioritize the need for conservation and collaboration to protect the Colorado River and manage a resource that is our community’s only water supply. We are very appreciative of the support and voluntary participation in the district’s conservation programs by IID growers, who already have set the bar for efficiency-based farming. In support of the Lower Basin Drought Plan, over the last two years IID has left approximately 350,000 acre-feet of conserved water in Lake Mead, adding nearly five feet of elevation. At year-end, IID’s 2024 conservation programs are anticipated to create more than 660,000 acre-feet of conservation, with this annual savings expected to increase even further over the next two years to add another six feet of elevation to Lake Mead.”
Jamie Asbury, General Manager
Imperial Irrigation District
“The amount of water California has conserved over the past two years showcases the remarkable power of collective action and our commitment to acting quickly to protect Lake Mead. It is a testament of what we can achieve across the Colorado River Basin when we each take responsibility and work together for the greater good.”
Deven Upadhyay, Interim General Manager
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
“Our collective achievements not only have made a profound impact on Lake Mead today, they also illustrate the can-do spirit that the Water Authority and our partners bring to future conservation work on the river. We are both proud of what we have accomplished and committed to delivering additional solutions for the Southwest in the years ahead.”
CRB Vice Chair Jim Madaffer San Diego County Water Authority
“As stewards of the Colorado River, the Quechan Tribe has a sacred responsibility to ourselves, our people, our neighbors, and future generations to ensure a sustainable and living Colorado River ecosystem. We have relied on the River from time immemorial and care for it as it has cared for us. We are proud to participate with our partners in California and at the Bureau of Reclamation in contributing to these important efforts to sustain the river that gave us life.”
President Jordan Joaquin
Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribal Council
“The Coachella Valley Water District is proud in continuing to be a part of the solution on the Colorado River. We stand with our California sister agencies in this effort, and to date have contributed over 71,000 acre-ft to the system through our two conservation programs. CVWD acknowledges that there is much work remaining to ensure long-term stability in the system, and are committed to working with our partners on finding solutions to protect the Colorado River Basin.”
Jim Barrett, General Manager Coachella Valley Water District
“In these times of increasing hydrological unpredictability, Los Angeles recognizes the importance of preserving Colorado River Basin and Lake Mead. The City of Los Angeles contribution towards the impressive amount of voluntary conservation shared by all California Colorado River water users is part of many responsible water resource management strategies the City is currently pursuing. Over the past 30 years, Angelenos have cut water usage by 44%, even as the City’s population has increased by over one million people. We will continue to prioritize conservation in addition to the expansion of recycled water and local water supply development to help preserve California’s vital shared water resources from the Colorado River.”
Anselmo Collins, Senior Assistant General Manager Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
“In 2024, Bard Water District continued its seasonal fallowing program in partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The seasonal fallowing program not only contributes water savings to help maintain Colorado River system levels but also allows the Bard Water District to fund improvements to its district’s irrigation system and replace aging infrastructure. The improvements and replacements will further increase efficiencies and contribute to additional water savings. The Bard Water District looks forward to continuing its work with our lower basin partners to preserve the Colorado River system and farming in the Bard Valley.”
Ray Face, President Bard Water District
Contacts
Colorado River Board of California, Jessica Neuwerth: 818-254-3200, jneuwerth@crb.ca.gov
Imperial Irrigation District, Robert Schettler: 760-427-5264, rdschettler@iid.com
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Rebecca Kimitch:
202-821-5253, rkimitch@mwdh2o.com
San Diego County Water Authority, Mike Lee: 760-208-0588, mlee@sdcwa.org
Coachella Valley Water District, Lorraine Garcia: 760-695-4007, garcia@cvwd.org
For nearly 90 years, the Colorado River Board of California’s mission has been to protect the interests and rights of the State of California, its agencies and citizens, in the water and power resources of the Colorado River system. The Colorado River Board represents the State of California and its members in discussions and negotiations with the Colorado River Basin States, federal, state, local governmental agencies, and Mexico regarding the management of the Colorado River.
A crucial Leadership Role in Safeguarding California’s Water Rights and Shaping Sustainable Management of Colorado River
September 20, 2024 – The Colorado River Board of California is actively recruiting for the position of Executive Director, a critical leadership role essential for the representation and protection of California’s interests in managing the Colorado River – a vital resource for the state’s water and power supply that faces growing demands.
For nearly 90 years, the Colorado River Board has played a pivotal role in negotiations and discussions with the Colorado River Basin States, federal agencies, and international partners. In an era marked by shifting climate patterns and competing demands on water resources, the Executive Director will be pivotal in guiding the Board’s mission to safeguard California’s water rights and ensure the sustainable management of Colorado River resources.
Collaborating closely with the Chair of the Colorado River Board of California, the Executive Director will oversee the Board’s operations, develop strategic recommendations, and advocate for California’s interests in discussions related to water management, environmental sustainability, and federal regulations. Specific duties include:
Leading the Colorado River Board staff in studying and managing the Colorado River.
Preparing comprehensive reports and presentations for legislative and public hearings.
Analyzing regulations and making recommendations on water conservation and utilization.
Representing California’s interests in meetings with stakeholders, including other states and Native American Tribes.
“Finding a visionary leader for this position is critical for the future of California’s water management,” said JB Hamby, Chairman of the Colorado River Board of California and California’s Colorado River Commissioner. “The Executive Director will be at the forefront of advocating for our state’s interests, ensuring that we not only protect our resources but also collaborate effectively with our partners to address the challenges ahead.”
Interested candidates are encouraged to apply by submitting their resume and cover letter electronically to Yuanyuan Myint at ymyint@crb.ca.gov by October 15, 2024.
Since 1937, the Colorado River Board of California has protected the interests and rights of the State of California, its agencies, and citizens in the water and power resources of the Colorado River.
At its August 14 meeting, the Colorado River Board celebrated the career and retirement of CRB Executive Director Chris Harris. Chris will be retiring at the end of August after more than 24 years with the Board and a 40-year career in the Colorado River Basin.
Chris joined the Colorado River Board as Environmental Program Manager in 2000, after 14 years with the Arizona Department of Water Resources. During his time with the Board, Chris served as Deputy Director, Acting Executive Director, and, since 2017, Executive Director. Among Chris’s many contributions to the Colorado River Basin, he was instrumental to the completion of the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program in 2005, a unique fifty-year federal/non-federal partnership to conserve endangered species and create habitat along the Lower Colorado River. Chris also spearheaded California’s plan to create 400,000 acre-feet of conserved water annually from 2023-2026, which was a foundational to the Lower Basin Plan finalized this April.
Colorado River Board staff members (left to right) David Rheinheimer, Shana Rapoport, Angela Rashid, Chris Harris, Jessica Neuwerth, Yuanyuan Myint, and Brian Alvarez.
At the August meeting, the Board named Deputy Director Jessica Neuwerth as the Acting Executive Director while the Board begins its search for a new Executive Director.
Contacts:
Arizona Department of Water Resources: Doug MacEachern, 602-510-0104
Colorado River Board of California: Jessica Neuwerth, 818-254-3202
Southern Nevada Water Authority: Bronson Mack, 702-822-8543
Alternative addresses the impacts of drought and climate change through a holistic and sustainable approach to the coordinated operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead that improves predictability for water users
The Lower Basin States in the Colorado River Basin today jointly submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) a proposed alternative for long-term Colorado River operations that would help ensure the river system’s health and sustainability for decades to come. [Download Lower Basin post-2026 alternative letter]
The alternative, drafted collaboratively by Arizona, California and Nevada, is designed to provide for sustainable management of the system under a very broad range of future conditions that have been exacerbated by drought and climate change. It reflects a new and more holistic approach to Colorado River management, in which required reductions are based on the health of seven major system reservoirs.
Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke, Colorado River Commissioner for California JB Hamby, and Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) General Manager John Entsminger jointly submitted the alternative to Reclamation as part of the federal agency’s process to develop new post-2026 operating guidelines for the river.
“The Lower Basin Alternative submitted today to Reclamation represents a serious commitment to the health of the Colorado River. The magnitude of these reductions is both difficult and necessary,” said ADWR Director Buschatzke, Arizona’s designated representative on Colorado River issues. “This is our commitment to working with our river partners to protect the Colorado River from Wyoming to Mexico.”
The alternative creates a path toward greater long-term stability in a river system wracked in recent decades by the effects of drought, climate change, and over-allocation, which have required additional proactive efforts such as the 2019 Drought Contingency Plans and more dramatic efforts in 2022-2023 to protect the system from reaching critically low elevations.
Importantly, as part of the alternative, users at and downstream of Lake Mead would reduce uses of Colorado River water by 1.5 million acre-feet each year under a broad range of conditions to address the structural deficit and future aridification caused by climate change. The structural deficit causes Lake Mead to decline annually, even under normal releases from Lake Powell upstream. Water lost to evaporation and river seepage in the Lower Basin contributes to this annual decline. A recent Reclamation report estimates these losses total about 1.3 million acre-feet annually within the Lower Basin.
“While addressing the structural deficit in the Lower Basin is a critical step in stabilizing the Colorado River, developing durable, long-lasting solutions requires all water uses to manage demands and commit to water conservation,” said SNWA General Manager John Entsminger, Nevada’s representative on the Colorado River. “Providing a framework that would better align future water demands with available supplies, the Lower Basin Alternative provides greater protections for the river and more certainty for its users.”
If system conditions deteriorate further, all water users would collectively participate in the solution. Under the Lower Basin Alternative, those additional reductions, beyond the initial 1.5 million acre-feet that would be solely assigned to the Lower Basin and Mexico, would be shared between the Upper and Lower basins and Mexico – up to a total of 3.9 million acre-feet of reductions.
“The Lower Basin Alternative creates resiliency and proposes climate change is a shared responsibility of all those that depend on the Colorado River,” said Colorado River Commissioner JB Hamby. “We need new ways of thinking to solve problems that have been unresolved for nearly a century and solutions for future challenges like climate change and extended drought — that’s what the Lower Basin Alternative does. Each basin, state, and sector must contribute to solving the challenges ahead. No one who benefits from the river can opt out of saving it.”
The alternative links Colorado River use to storage volumes contained within multiple Upper and Lower Basin reservoirs, ensuring that current and future water uses remain balanced with supplies. Unlike the current guidelines, which are based on Lake Mead and Lake Powell elevations, the Lower Basin states propose basing reductions on the volumes of water contained within seven Upper and Lower basin reservoirs.
This total system contents method performs better at protecting critical reservoir elevations than today’s operations, provides more certainty in addressing the effects of climate change, and largely eliminates the use of forecasts from decision-making on reduction volumes.
The alternative also proposes new release criteria for water from Lake Powell to Lake Mead. These criteria are streamlined compared to the current guidelines. Releases are based primarily upon reservoir contents in the Upper Basin. The alternative responds to hydrologic shortages in the Upper Basin by reducing releases from Lake Powell as Upper Basin use is impacted.
Many of the rules currently governing Colorado River system operations expire in 2026, including the 2007 Interim Shortage Guidelines and the 2019 Drought Contingency Plans. Last year, Reclamation initiated an environmental review process to develop new rules for post-2026 operations. Water managers across the Colorado River Basin – including federal, state, and tribal managers – have been negotiating a consensus-based alternative that could be proposed as part of that process.
Alternatives proposed to Reclamation, including the Lower Basin alternative, will be reviewed as part of the multi-year environmental review process led by Reclamation.
Meanwhile, the Lower Basin states acknowledge that the best path forward for all users of the Colorado River is one that the seven states can unanimously support. The Lower Basin states remain committed to working with the Upper Basin states, Mexico, water users, Tribes, stakeholders, and NGOs to develop a Basin-wide consensus-based alternative for further evaluation.
“Protecting the future of the Colorado River must be a collective effort. The approach that was sent to the federal government today is a tremendous step forward, but there’s more to do. We need everyone across the Colorado River Basin working together to find the solutions necessary to protect the future of the Colorado River.” – Brenda Burman, General Manager, Central Arizona Project
“The alternative proposed today goes further and thinks bigger than anything previously done to protect the Colorado River. We have developed a framework that could bring lasting sustainability to the Colorado River. But it will take participation from each and every one of us. Every water user across the Basin must commit to using less, while as a Basin we look for opportunities to augment supplies. If we all step up, we can implement a holistic plan that is inclusive of cities, farms, tribes and the environment, and leaves no one without water, ensuring we all thrive.” – Adel Hagekhalil, General Manager, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
“Over the last two decades, we have seen that the Colorado River is producing less water due to unprecedented warmer and drier conditions and a historic drought. Going forward, the Colorado River needs to be managed holistically as proposed by the Lower Basin States and not by one crisis after another. This common-sense alternative will provide greater predictability and long-term stability for all water users in the Colorado River Basin. The wise management of the Colorado River is important to our member municipalities in the Phoenix metropolitan area, which collectively provide water to over 3.7 million residents – more than half of Arizona’s population – and to the businesses and industries that support the regional and national economy.” – Warren Tenney, Executive Director, Arizona Municipal Water Users Association
“Palo Verde Irrigation District endorses the Lower Basin Alternative for future operation of the Colorado River. The unified Lower Basin adaptive management approach will stabilize river flows for generations and secure reliable water for agriculture. It will also benefit Mexico, the Upper Basin States, and the population of 40 million people throughout the Basin. Much work remains ahead for Reclamation, the Upper Basin, Mexico, and the Lower Basin to collaborate toward implementing this practical, realistic alternative.” – Bart Fisher, President, Palo Verde Irrigation District Board of Trustees
“As one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, having greater predictability on the water supply from the Colorado River is critical in planning for future growth, which the Lower Basin States alternative proposal provides. The alternative proposal also provides the collaborative, balanced and sustainable approach that’s needed to successfully manage the river.” – Barbara Chappell, Water Services Director, City of Goodyear, Arizona
“CVWD supports the need to update the Colorado River operations rules in addressing the current and future impacts of changing hydrology. We believe the framework outlined in the Lower Basin Alternative provides a rational path forward for the system’s long-term health and stability. Shared responsibility among all seven states ensures reliability for all 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of farms that depend on the River. CVWD is committed to doing our part.” – Jim Barrett, General Manager, Coachella Valley Water District
“Phoenix is dedicated to delivering safe and reliable water to its 1.7 million customers. With this objective in mind, city leaders welcome the collaboration among the Lower Basin states to develop a strategy for Colorado River operations that addresses the challenges of overallocation and climate change. This pivotal moment calls for an unprecedented level of unity, creativity, and commitment from all stakeholders across every sector as we strive to ensure the long-term viability of the river. Phoenix shares the goal of all parties: adapt, innovate, and work collectively to secure the future of the Colorado River for our communities and future generations.” – Cynthia S. Campbell, Water Resources Management Advisor, City of Phoenix
“The Imperial Irrigation District appreciates the collaborative efforts within the Lower Division States to craft an alternative for Reclamation to model as it moves forward with developing post-2026 operating guidelines. Through hard work, and a collective willingness to listen and consider each agency’s perspective, we have made significant strides forward since last year. IID is committed to continuing the conversations necessary to allow for consideration of a compromise proposal that balances water supply certainty for our community during a record-breaking drought, while still protecting the district’s longstanding legal positions and senior water rights.” – Jamie Asbury, General Manager, Imperial Irrigation District
“Our Yuma agricultural community has existed for generations along the Colorado River, and we support analysis of the Lower Basin Alternative by the Bureau of Reclamation. We are pleased to see Lower Basin negotiators take the River’s challenges seriously and prepare an Alternative that recognizes the need to make reductions across the Colorado River Basin in a predictable and realistic manner.” – Robert Woodhouse, Board President of Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation & Drainage District
“Since time immemorial, the Quechan people have relied on the Colorado River for our physical and spiritual sustenance, and the Tribe is deeply committed to ensuring that this living river remains healthy and capable of providing for the people and ecosystems that rely on it,” said Quechan Tribal Council President Jordan Joaquin.“It is why we have always fought for and will continue to defend our water. Particularly in the face of climate change and the hydrologic challenges it creates, it is essential that the post-2026 management framework for the River provides for human and ecosystem needs, protects tribal water rights, and reflects a viable strategy for preserving the River for us all. The alternative the Lower Basin States of Arizona, California, and Nevada submitted today to the Bureau of Reclamation marks an important step toward this goal, and I commend the Lower Basin States for their hard and collaborative work in reaching this point. I particularly appreciate their thoughtful plan for addressing the structural deficit and the proposal to move away from a reliance on forecasts to making management decisions based on total system contents. We look forward to our continued engagement with Reclamation, our sister tribes, the Basin states, and other key stakeholders as this process continues to ensure that we reach a sustainable outcome.”
Record-setting volumes of Colorado River water are being saved in Lake Mead
The Bureau of Reclamation is moving the process forward to develop new operating guidelines for the Colorado River that will be in effect after 2026. Simultaneously, states, tribes and water users across the Colorado River Basin continue to collaborate on a long-term sustainable plan for the stability of the river.
To that end, the Lower Colorado River Basin states – water users in Arizona, California and Nevada – are contributing record volumes of water to Lake Mead. By the end of 2023, cumulatively, the Lower Basin will have voluntarily conserved more than 1 million acre-feet – water that is being held back in Lake Mead for the benefit of the entire system over and above shortage reductions agreed to in 2007 and those of the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan.
In 2023, consumptive use in the Lower Basin States is expected to be around 5.8 million acre-feet, the lowest consumptive use since 1984.
Arizona
Arizona users are conserving nearly 345,000 acre-feet of water in 2023 through the Central Arizona Water Conservation District/Arizona Department of Water Resources ICS Preservation program as well as federally funded CAP subcontractor, tribal contractor and on-river conservation agreements. This is in addition to the 592,000 acre-foot Tier 2a shortage reduction taken by Arizona.
“Arizona is conserving more water than ever to stabilize the Colorado River Basin and protect our collective water future,” said Tom Buschatzke, Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
“The commitment of our state’s tribes, cities, industries and agricultural districts to Colorado River conservation efforts is substantial, and builds upon Arizona’s long history of water conservation in support of a robust economy. I’m confident we will continue this tradition well into the future as we all adapt to a changing Colorado River.”
California
Colorado River water deliveries to California in 2023 are on track to be the lowest since 1949 – 700,000 acre-feet lower than the state’s 4.4 million acre-foot apportionment. In urban Southern California, Colorado River use this year is projected to be the third lowest in 60 years, thanks in part to recent broad efforts to reduce outdoor water use on grass. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation prohibiting the use of potable water to irrigate grass that serves no functional purpose at businesses and other institutions.
“Twenty years ago this year, California permanently reduced its Colorado River water use by 800,000 acre-feet overnight — enough to serve 2.4 million households every year. This year, in addition to that unparalleled and ongoing effort, we’ve cut our use even further thanks to investments in conservation and partnerships forged between our agricultural, urban, and tribal water users,” said JB Hamby, California’s Colorado River Commissioner and Chairman of the Colorado River Board of California. “California is committed to leading with our water users, Basin States, and Basin Tribes to ensure sustainability on the Colorado River now and into the future.”
Nevada
Nevada implemented a series of new water efficiency measures to further enhance the community’s progressive and comprehensive conservation program, which has reduced Nevada’s consumption of Colorado River by 41 percent since 2002. The new water efficiency measures include pool size limits, state laws requiring decorative grass replacement, prohibitions on new evaporative cooling, and innovative tools to align economic development opportunities with water efficiency.
“With a population of 2.3 million residents, Southern Nevada will use less than 200,000 acre-feet this year – our lowest annual water use since 1993 when our population was about 900,000 people,” said John Entsminger, SNWA General Manager. “As a river community, we can all maintain diverse, robust economies while using less water, and the reductions in municipal and agricultural water use across the Lower Basin demonstrates that.”
Arizona, California, and Nevada water users continue to conserve and leave roughly 3 million acre-feet of water in Lake Mead by the end of 2026, ensuring Colorado River system stability. Collectively, ongoing commitments may exceed the volumes in the Lower Basin consensus proposal offered to the federal government earlier this year as part of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement process to revise the 2007 Interim Guidelines that operate the Colorado River system.
These contributions provide much-needed stability through 2026 while new operating guidelines are being developed for the Colorado River system.
GLENDALE, CA — Colorado River Board of California Chairman JB Hamby issued the following statement regarding the Lower Basin Plan submitted by the representatives of California, Arizona and Nevada to the Bureau of Reclamation that will conserve three million acre-feet of Colorado River water through 2026.
“California worked hard with our Basin States partners to achieve consensus among all seven states to protect the Colorado River system for the duration of the current guidelines,” said Hamby, who also serves as California’s Colorado River Commissioner.
A letter from all seven Colorado River Basin states requested that Reclamation analyze the Lower Basin Plan as an action alternative under the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Draft SEIS), provide sufficient time to fully analyze the plan consistent with applicable law, and allow for an appropriate public comment period. The Draft SEIS evaluates potential near-term modifications to the 2007 Interim Shortage Guidelines that govern the operation of the Colorado River’s major dams and reservoirs through 2026.
Hamby added, “California and our partners in Arizona and Nevada have developed a plan that results in better protection for the Colorado River system than other action alternatives identified in the current Draft SEIS released last month by Reclamation. The Lower Basin Plan will generate unprecedented volumes of conservation that will build elevation in Lake Mead, make strategic use of the improved hydrology, and build upon partnerships within and among states, urban water agencies, agricultural irrigation districts, and Basin Tribes who rely upon and share the Colorado River.”
In recent months, California’s Colorado River contractors and entitlement holders have closely collaborated with the Bureau of Reclamation to develop agreements that will conserve up to 1.6 million acre-feet of water through 2026 for the benefit of the Colorado River System as part of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, and through an existing Intentionally Created Surplus extraordinary conservation water storage program. Each of California’s Colorado River contractors and entitlement holders, including The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Imperial Irrigation District, Palo Verde Irrigation District, Coachella Valley Water District, Bard Water District, and the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, will conserve water to remain in the Colorado River system as part of the plan.
“California’s water users will work quickly to implement conservation that will protect the system in the near term. At the same time, California will work to address the systemic challenges facing the Colorado River and will begin collaborating with the Basin States, Basin Tribes, and the Bureau of Reclamation to develop sustainable guidelines for the long-term management of the river,” said Hamby.
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For the past 85 years the Colorado River Board of California’s mission has been to protect the interests and rights of the State of California, its agencies and citizens, in the water and power resources of the Colorado River System.
The Colorado River Board represents the State of California and its Members in discussions and negotiations with the Colorado River Basin States, federal, state and local governmental agencies and Mexico regarding the management of the Colorado River.
BOULDER CITY, NV — Colorado River Board of California Chairman JB Hamby issued the following statement on the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) released today by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The draft SEIS evaluates potential modifications to the 2007 Interim Shortage Guidelines that govern operation of the Colorado River’s major dams and reservoirs.
“California remains committed to developing a seven-state consensus that will protect the Colorado River system for the duration of the current guidelines,” said Hamby, who also serves as California’s Colorado River Commissioner. He added that, “California looks forward to closely coordinating and collaborating with our partners in the other Basin States, Basin Tribes, and Reclamation to review the draft SEIS in full.”
In January, California submitted a modeling proposal as part of the SEIS process that built on voluntary agreements and past collaborative efforts to address reduced inflows and declining reservoir elevations and achieve necessary water use reductions through 2026 to protect critical infrastructure and minimize implementation delays.
Since the January submission, California’s Colorado River water contractors and entitlement holders have closely collaborated with the Bureau of Reclamation to initiate efforts to develop agreements and conserve up to 400,000 acre-feet of water per year through 2026 for the benefit of the Colorado River System as part of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act.
On April 6, Arizona and Nevada joined California in a joint response letter to Reclamation providing input on the voluntary Program’s longer-term durable system efficiency improvements project funding component by recommending measures including turf removal, local supply and augmentation projects, agricultural efficiency improvements, conveyance modernization and automation, as well as storage projects to achieve verifiable reductions in the use of or demand for water supplies.
“California is committed to working with the Colorado River Basin States, Basin Tribes, and the Bureau of Reclamation to ensure that funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and recent improvements to the basin’s hydrology are used strategically to develop consensus for near-term stable operation of the Colorado River system, and to pivot to developing sustainable guidelines for the long-term management of the river,” said Hamby.
May 30 is the deadline for comments on the draft SEIS.
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For the past 85 years the Colorado River Board of California’s mission has been to protect the interests and rights of the State of California, its agencies and citizens, in the water and power resources of the Colorado River System.
The Colorado River Board represents the State of California and its Members in discussions and negotiations with the Colorado River Basin States, federal, state and local governmental agencies and Mexico regarding the management of the Colorado River.
Proposal Outlines Constructive Approach to Achieve Necessary Water Use Reductions through 2026 to Protect Critical Infrastructure, Prioritize Public Health and Safety
California water agencies that rely on the Colorado River today proposed a modeling framework for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to evaluate as it considers actions to help stabilize reservoir elevations and protect critical infrastructure to ensure the Colorado River system can continue to support 40 million people, nearly 6 million acres of agriculture, and Tribes across seven states and portions of Mexico.
The modeling framework outlines a constructive approach to achieve additional water use reductions while protecting infrastructure, prioritizing public health and safety, and upholding the existing body of laws, compacts, decrees, and agreements that govern Colorado River operations (known collectively as the Law of the River). The approach builds on the California agencies’ commitments announced last fall to voluntarily conserve an additional 400,000 acre-feet of water each year through 2026 to protect storage in Lake Mead and help stabilize the Colorado River reservoir system.
California’s proposed framework seeks to protect Lake Mead elevation of 1,000 feet and Lake Powell elevation of 3,500 feet by modifying some parameters governing reservoir operations, maximizing the impact of existing plans and voluntary conservation actions, and increasing cutbacks if Lake Mead elevations decline. It also protects baseline water needs of communities across the West by prioritizing water supplies for human health and safety. The proposal was carefully developed to enable workable phased water use reductions and ensures protection of adequate water volumes in Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
“The alternative provides a realistic and implementable framework to address reduced inflows and declining reservoir elevations by building on voluntary agreements and past collaborative efforts in order to minimize implementation delays. California’s alternative protects critical elevations and uses adaptive management to protect critical reservoir elevations through the interim period,” JB Hamby, chair of Colorado River Board of California and California’s Colorado River Commissioner, wrote in a transmittal letter to Reclamation.
The approach differs from a modeling proposal submitted to Reclamation on January 30 by the six other basin states. The six-state proposal would direct the majority of water use reductions needed in the Lower Basin to California water users through a new apportionment method based on “system and evaporative losses.” The proposal directly conflicts with the existing Law of the River and the current water rights system and mandates cutback without providing tools to manage reductions.
For the past several months, California water users have sought a timely, practical and implementable solution with other Lower Basin users that can be implemented over the next three years to protect critical elevations in Lake Mead while longer-term changes are negotiated to update 2007 Interim Guidelines that will expire at the end of 2026. Suggestions to fundamentally change the Law of River are appropriately addressed through this shared process to update the guidelines.
California’s water agencies remain committed to working with all Colorado River basin states to take urgent, fair, and achievable action now to avoid unacceptable risks to communities, farms and economies in California and the rest of the basin.
For decades, California has been a leader in managing its Colorado River water resources and collaborating in basin-wide efforts to more effectively operate and manage the reservoir system and to incentivize water conservation as demands have increased in the face of shrinking supplies due to climate change.
In 2003, California permanently reduced its use of Colorado River water from about 5.2 million acre-feet annually to its basic apportionment of 4.4 million acre-feet, a permanent annual reduction in water use of about 800,000 acre-feet. The reduction in use resulted from implementing a combination of agricultural and urban conservation activities. Since 2003, water users in California have taken significant actions to conserve Colorado River water, adding over 1.5 million acre-feet and 20 feet of elevation of conserved water to Lake Mead since 2007. California water users committed to further conservation to bolster storage in Lake Mead through the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan. California has invested billions of dollars in urban and agricultural conservation across Southern California, through programs that reach virtually every Colorado River water user in the state.
“Twenty years ago, California adopted the largest water conservation-and-transfer agreement in U.S. history that not only supports the bulk of our nation’s food system but also sustains the environment. This multi-billion-dollar conservation-focused framework – the Quantification Settlement Agreement – is the blueprint for other states to follow. California has done its part and is willing to do more, but it’s time for the other states to step up and create their own conservation programs that sustain the quality of life in their communities,” said Jim Madaffer, vice chair of the Colorado River Board of California, representing the San Diego County Water Authority.
“For over 20 years, Metropolitan has met the challenge of reducing our use of Colorado River water, and we are committed to doing more now. But we must do it in a way that does not harm half of the people who rely on the river – the 19 million people of Southern California. We must do it in a way that does not devastate our $1.6 trillion economy, an economic engine for the entire United States. We must do it in a way that can be quickly implemented, adding water to lakes Mead and Powell without getting mired in lengthy legal battles. We must do it in a way that maintains and strengthens partnerships on the river, allowing us to work together to build longer term solutions. The proposal presented today by California does all of this by equitably sharing the risk among Basin states without adversely affecting any one agency or state. The plan presented yesterday, which shut out California, does not. California knows how to permanently reduce use of the river – we have done it over the past 20 years, through billions of dollars in investments and hard-earned partnerships. We can help the entire Southwest do it again as we move forward,” said Adel Hagekhalil, general manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
“The Colorado River – Imperial Valley’s only source of water – supports far more than our rural disadvantaged community as it provides for a robust agricultural industry that feeds millions of people and provides food security for this nation. California, and particularly the Imperial Irrigation District, is working to be part of the solution, however we also believe in upholding the Law of the River and not shouldering the burden of supply limitations for states and agencies that have outgrown their water rights. California has spent the past two decades successfully working together to resolve intra-state supply and demand imbalances to sustain the Colorado River. Since the signing of the Quantification Settlement Agreement, the largest ag-to-urban water conservation and transfer agreement in U.S. history, IID’s water management programs have generated over 7.2 million acre-feet in support of the Colorado River system. Today, IID and its California partners have proposed a balanced and implementable plan that begins to address the monumental challenges we face with the ongoing Colorado River drought,” said Henry Martinez, general manager, Imperial Irrigation District.
“Historically, CVWD and our agricultural community have invested heavily in its irrigation delivery system to minimize water loss, including canal lining projects, a closed pipe irrigation distribution system and installing drip irrigation. We have prioritized the efficient use of Colorado River water over the long term. We also took action last year with other California agencies to voluntarily identify a collection of Colorado River water conservation and reduction actions to save 400,000 acre-feet annually through 2026. We support our California partners and are committed to reaching a 7-basin state consensus on a framework for additional water use reductions through 2026,” said Jim Barrett, general manager, Coachella Valley Water District.
“One-hundred and forty-six years ago, the original developers of our Palo Verde Valley filed and were granted the very first water rights to Colorado River water. Secured by those rights, farmers and farm workers have invested multiple generations of farm loans and hard work to produce food and fiber for consumers. Surrounding our agriculture are small rural cities that depend exclusively upon Colorado River water for their domestic supply. Farmers and landowners in Palo Verde Irrigation District want to be part of a solution to the current mismatch of supply and demand on the River in a manner that honors existing Public Law, and Administrative Law,” said Bart Fisher, president, Palo Verde Irrigation District Board of Trustees.
“The Colorado River has been the lifeblood of the Quechan people since time immemorial, and we have a deep and abiding responsibility to be good stewards of the River – for the Tribe and its members, for the species and ecosystems that it sustains, and for the benefit of our fellow tribes and non-Indian neighbors throughout the Basin. It is why we have always fought for and will continue to defend our water. The modeling proposal submitted by the State of California to the Bureau of Reclamation for inclusion as part of its development of the SEIS reflects a meaningful effort to address the hydrologic challenges facing the Basin while respecting the senior water rights of the Tribe and others and ensuring that the Colorado can continue to exist as a living river,” said Quechan Tribal Council President Jordan Joaquin.
At its January 11th meeting, the Colorado River Board of California elected JB Hamby, representing Imperial Irrigation District, to serve as Board Chairman and Jim Madaffer, representing San Diego County Water Authority, to serve as Board Vice Chairman. As Chairman, Hamby serves as California’s Colorado River Commissioner.
“This is a historic time of reckoning on the Colorado River where growing demand over the decades exceeds a shrinking supply due to chronic drought and aridification,” Hamby said. “Protecting California’s stake on the Colorado River is vital to our future in Southern California. I look forward to working closely with the board’s member agencies — both agricultural and urban — to develop solutions that respect the Law of the River for the benefit of all Californians.”
Board members also congratulated outgoing Chairman Peter Nelson and Vice Chairman David Pettijohn on their tenure and service to the Board and the State of California.
Outgoing Chairman Peter Nelson with newly elected Chairman JB HambyVice Chairman Jim Madaffer and Chairman JB Hamby
Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau
Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton
Dear Deputy Secretary Beaudreau, Assistant Secretary Trujillo, and Commissioner Touton:
Thank you for your leadership and collaboration as we work together to stabilize the Colorado River Basin amidst an unprecedented, climate change-driven drought stretching over two decades. Given dire drought conditions across the region and dangerously low reservoir levels, we firmly believe that all water users within the Basin must take immediate voluntary actions to stabilize water supplies in the Basin’s major reservoirs.
California water agencies that utilize Colorado River water supplies propose to conserve up to an additional 400,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead each year, beginning in 2023 and running through 2026. This water, which would otherwise be used by California’s communities and farms, will meaningfully contribute to stabilizing the Colorado River reservoir system. … read more
