Monday Top of the Scroll: “The time for action is now” — Pressure mounts for negotiations over the Colorado River’s future
… The Colorado River Basin is in dire straits: The water supply for 40 million people has been dwindling, and climatologists say the climate future is bleak. State officials have spent months mired in thorny negotiations over things like how to split painful water cuts in the driest conditions — with scant progress to report publicly. … The final plan could determine everything from how key reservoirs store and release water to who takes cuts in dry years and how environments, like the Grand Canyon, will be impacted for years to come. It will impact water supplies for cities, like Denver, Phoenix and Los Angeles, ecosystems, a multibillion-dollar agricultural industry, hydroelectric power and more.
Other Colorado River Basin negotiation news:
- E&E News by Politico: Interior official — States must reach Colorado River deal or face federal action
- KUNC (Greeley, Colo.): With Colorado River negotiators in a ‘conclave,’ other experts are on the outside looking in
- Courthouse News Service: Settlements and stalemates: Tribal leaders steer the Colorado River conversation
- Arizona Republic (Phoenix): A deal in sight? Colorado River talks are moving again, officials say
- Arizona Republic (Phoenix): How will Arizona deal with Colorado River shortages? Cities need a ‘Plan B,’ expert says
