In September, 2013, as you probably know, Colorado faced some of the worst floods to the state in recent history. Lives were tragically lost, many thousands of survivors were displaced, and the overflowing of rivers caused widespread damage. The flooding in terms of intensity in some areas is unrivaled to any event since the tragic flooding of 1976. In this year’s floods, some areas along the Big Thompson River received an average year’s worth of rainfall in just a few short hours. In the aftermath of this devastating flood, what can we learn from the event to plan better in the future? I would like to offer my thoughts on a few areas related to this. Continue reading
Author Archives: Jeff Simonetti
Water in Oklahoma Part Two: Native American Water Rights and the Fight over Water in Southern Oklahoma
In last week’s post, I wrote about the unsuccessful increased claims that Texas tried to make on Oklahoma’s portion of the Red River. In a region that faces continued drought conditions, many parties want to stake a claim to the area’s limited water resources. Southern Oklahoma’s water resources have parties from both directions on the compass that want a share. We already know that Oklahoma’s neighbor to the South, Texas, wants more of the Red River entitlement. However, to the North of these water resources, Oklahoma City and the surrounding suburbs are in need of further water entitlement to sate its citizens’ appetite for water. In this blog post, I will discuss how protracted negotiations and court proceedings have pitted Oklahoma City against the Indian Nations with land and water claims in the Southern part of the state. While the negotiations are still ongoing, the case shows how important limited water resources are to everyone in the region. But first a bit of background.
Water in Oklahoma Part One: Both Oklahoma and Texas want it, but who will get it?
In my last two blog posts, I discussed the ongoing water supply challenges that Texas faces. As we saw in last week’s blog post, Texas is not the only state in that region of the United States to face protracted drought. New Mexico, which relies on the Rio Grande River (the same river that supplies much of Northern Mexico and Southern Texas) is facing severe water shortages in some parts of the state. In this post, I would like to continue the theme. Oklahoma faces many of the same challenges that Texas and New Mexico face. However, Oklahoma faces two unique claims to the limited water supplies in the State. First, the State of Texas has been in protracted lawsuits with Oklahoma over entitlement from the Red River Basin. Second, urban areas, particularly Oklahoma City are taking water claims in the Southern part of the State that the Indian Nations in the area claim. I will address the first issue in this week’s post. Continue reading
Water Supply in Texas Part Two on the Ongoing Challenges the Lone Star State Faces
Last week, I discussed the fight over water entitlement from the Rio Grande River between Texas and the country of Mexico. In the severe drought that the Southwestern United States currently faces, there is not enough water to supply fully all of the water users’ needs in the region. As such, squabbles over water entitlement have cropped up over who should get what, and what end users will benefit from the tight water supplies. However, Texas and Mexico are not the only two jurisdictions that can claim water from the Rio Grande River. Although the Rio Grande River forms part of the Texas – Mexico border, the River begins in Colorado and flows through New Mexico. New Mexico relies on water entitlement from the River. In the drought conditions that the region faces, there is also tension between Texas and New Mexico over water entitlements. Continue reading