A drought has lingered in the Colorado River Basin since 2000, causing reservoir storage to decline from nearly full to about half of capacity. So far this year, a meager snowpack in the Rocky Mountains hasn’t helped much.

In fact, forecasters say this winter will likely go down as the sixth-driest on record for the river system that supplies water to seven states, including California, and Mexico.

On our Lower Colorado River Tour, April 11-13, you will meet with water managers from the three Lower Basin states: Nevada, Arizona and California. The three states are working to finalize a Drought Contingency Plan to take voluntary cuts to keep Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, from hitting critical levels and causing a shortage declaration.

Experts will include representatives from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Southern Nevada Water Authority, Central Arizona Project, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Imperial Irrigation District, and several others. Each will provide their perspective on the river to give you a balanced, well-rounded understanding of past, current and future conditions.

The three-day tour includes a tour of Hoover Dam, a boat ride on Copper Basin, a visit to the Salton Sea, and more! 

Register here for this educational – and fun – tour. Tour transportation, accommodations and meals are included in the ticket price. For an additional fee, you can receive continuing education credits for the tour.

Click here for information about all our tours or contact Tour Director Dan Scott at 916-444-6240 or dscott@watereducation.org for more details.