At the heart of Colorado River crisis, the mighty ‘Law of the River’ looms large
It’s a crisis nearly 100 years in the making: Seven states — all reliant on a single mighty river as a vital source of water — failed to reach an agreement this week on how best to reduce their use of supplies from the rapidly shrinking Colorado River. At the heart of the feud is the “Law of the River,” a body of agreements, court decisions, contracts and decrees that govern the river’s use and date back to 1922, when the Colorado River Compact first divided river flows among the states. But as California argues most strongly for strict adherence to this system of water apportionment, the other states say it makes little sense when the river’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, continues to decline toward “dead pool” level, which would effectively cut off the Southwest from its water lifeline. The Law of the River, they say, is getting in the way of a solution.
Related articles:
- Voice of San Diego: California Isn’t Playing Nice on the Colorado River
- USA Today: Colorado River Compact water crisis: California plan explained
- Central Arizona Project: News release – New terms alert: SEIS and Consensus-Based Modeling Alternative! What do these terms mean and why should you care?
- Audubon: Blog: Conservation organizations emphasize need to protect environmental priorities in Colorado River basin
- WyoFile: Colorado River states fail to strike agreement; feds may step in
