by Greg Walcher, E&E Legal Senior Policy Fellow
The Daily Sentinel
John Wesley Powell, the 19th century Colorado River explorer and long-time head of the U.S. Geological Survey, published one of the earliest analyses of the American Southwest in 1879, called “Report on the Lands of the Arid Region of the United States.” He may have been the first to figure out that the limiting factor for settlement and growth in the West would never be land, but always water. It would be just as prescient if written last week. As he predicted, the modern prosperity of the West is built entirely on dams, canals, and irrigation — about which millions of its citizens are barely aware.
People focus on water slightly more during droughts. English clergyman Thomas Fuller published the proverb in 1732, “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.”
There have been more articles and editorials about the Colorado River in the last two years than in the preceding two decades, because of the seven Basin states’ failure to reach agreement on future management of a dwindling water supply. Seeing no better option, the Interior Department published its “final” decision on management of Lake Powell, Lake Mead, and other major federal reservoirs over the next decade. A couple states are content, others angry, and one (Arizona) threatening litigation. So, recognizing that nothing related to the Colorado River is ever really “final,” what’s next, especially in the long term?
The Aug. 16 Wall Street Journal ran the headline, “The Colorado River is shrinking. See how authorities are trying to save it.” The story, with impressive color graphs, led with “After years of impasse between states, the federal government has stepped in to try to save the beleaguered Colorado River. The plans include a short-term fix for an ailing reservoir (Lake Powell) and longer-term efforts to keep the river flowing. It is unclear how effective these measures will be.”
