Yesterday, former Arizona Governor and Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt called for the immediate implementation of Tier 3 curtailments under the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan (“DCP”) in an opinion piece in The Arizona Republic, Feds should declare a Tier 3 water shortage on the Colorado River (azcentral.com). Governor Babbitt is advocating this action in the face of inaction by Colorado River parties, including the federal government.
Recent Agreement by the Federal Government Is Not a Good Deal for the Salton Sea
A feature by Sarah Pilla of Spectrum News 1 covers the recent agreement in which federal government is providing money for Salton Sea restoration projects in exchange for 400,000 AF/year of conservation by Southern California water agencies, with the Imperial Irrigation District responsible for the largest amount of conservation. While the deal has been lauded as a solution for keeping water in Lake Mead, Hydrowonk says it is not a good deal for the Salton Sea.
On Evaporation and System Losses in the Colorado River Basin
The Bureau of Reclamation’s first response to the failure of Colorado River Basin states to propose a plan to reduce the use of Colorado River water by 2 million acre-feet to 4 million acre-feet per year is to recognize evaporation and system losses in the Colorado River system, including the Lower Basin. Channeling the late management guru Peter Drucker, “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.”
Hydrowonk’s Fairness Opinion on the Current Price of Lower Colorado River Water
The Colorado River remains in disarray as parties search for ways to meet the Bureau of Reclamation’s announced goal of reducing use of Colorado River water by 2 million acre-feet to 4 million acre-feet annually perhaps through the year 2026 (https://hydrowonk.com/blog/2022/08/19/the-colorado-river-in-disarray/). Hydrowonk hears rumors that parties are struggling in negotiations to secure voluntary conservation to meet the Bureau’s objectives, as well as provide conserved water to offset curtailments junior priorities incur under the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan.