{"id":36034,"date":"2023-01-30T10:26:14","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T17:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/emails-reveal-tensions-in-colorado-river-talks\/"},"modified":"2023-01-30T17:26:14","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T17:26:14","slug":"emails-reveal-tensions-in-colorado-river-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/emails-reveal-tensions-in-colorado-river-talks\/","title":{"rendered":"Emails reveal tensions in Colorado River talks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Water
Water from the Colorado River flows in a canal along a border wall separating San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico with San Luis, Arizona on Aug. 14, 2022, in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico. Exposed to the beating sun and hot dry air, more than 10% of the water carried by the Colorado River evaporates, leaks or spills as the 1,450-mile powerhouse of the West flows through the region\u2019s dams, reservoirs and open-air canals. (Gregory Bull\/AP Photo, File)<\/span>Gregory Bull<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

SACRAMENTO, Calif. \u2013 Competing priorities, outsized demands and the federal government\u2019s retreat from a threatened deadline stymied a deal last summer on how to drastically reduce water use from the parched Colorado River<\/a>, emails obtained by The Associated Press show.<\/p>\n

The documents span the June-to-August window the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation gave states to reach consensus on water cuts for a system that supplies 40 million people annually \u2013 or have the federal government force them. They largely include communication among water officials in Arizona and California, the major users in the river\u2019s Lower Basin.<\/p>\n

Reclamation wanted the seven U.S. states that rely on the river to decide how to cut 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water \u2013 or up to roughly one-third \u2013 on top of already anticipated reductions<\/a>. The emails, obtained through a public records request, depict a desire to reach a consensus but persistent disagreement over how much each state could or should give.<\/p>\n

As the deadline approached without meaningful progress, one water manager warned: \u201cWe\u2019re all headed to a very dark place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenges we had this summer were significant challenges, they truly were,\u201d Chris Harris, executive director of the Colorado River Board of California, said in an interview about the early negotiations. \u201cI don\u2019t know that anybody was to blame, I genuinely don\u2019t. There were an awful lot of different interpretations of what was being asked and what we were trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scientists say the megadrought gripping the southwestern U.S. is the worst in 1,200 years, putting a deep strain on the Colorado River<\/a> as key reservoirs dip to historically low levels. If states don\u2019t begin taking less out of the river, the major reservoirs threaten to fall so low they can\u2019t produce hydropower or supply any water at all to farms that grow crops for the rest of the nation and cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix.<\/p>\n

The future of the river seemed so precarious last summer that some water managers felt attempting to reach a voluntary deal was futile \u2013 only mandated cuts would stave off crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are out of time and out of any cushion to allow for a voluntary plan,\u201d Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, told a Bureau of Reclamation official in a July 18 email.<\/p>\n

As 2023 begins, fresh incentives make the states more likely to give up water. The federal government has put up $4 billion for drought relief, and Colorado River users have submitted proposals to get some of that money through actions like leaving fields unplanted. Some cities are ripping up thirsty decorative grass<\/a>, and tribes<\/a> and major water agencies<\/a> have left some water in key reservoirs \u2013 either voluntarily or by mandate.<\/p>\n

Reclamation also has agreed to spend $250 million mitigating hazards<\/a> at a drying California lake bed, a condition of the state\u2019s water users agreeing to cut their use by 400,000 acre feet<\/a> in a proposal released in October.<\/p>\n

The Interior Department is still evaluating proposals for a slice of the $4 billion<\/a> and can\u2019t say how much savings it will generate, Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau said in an interview.<\/p>\n

The states are again trying to reach a grand bargain \u2013 with a deadline of Tuesday \u2013 so Reclamation can factor it into a larger plan to modify operations at Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam, behemoth power producers<\/a> on the Colorado River. Failure to do so would set up the possibility of the federal government imposing cuts \u2013 a move that could invite litigation.<\/p>\n

Figuring out who absorbs additional water cuts has been contentious, with allegations of drought profiteering, reneging on commitments, too many negotiators in the room and an unsteady hand from the federal government, the emails and follow-up interviews showed.<\/p>\n

California<\/a> says it\u2019s a partner willing to sacrifice, but other states see it as a reluctant participant clinging to a water priority system where it ranks near the top. Arizona and Nevada have long felt they\u2019re unfairly forced to bear the brunt of cuts because of a water rights system developed long ago, a simmering frustration that reared its head during talks.<\/p>\n

Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton\u2019s call for a massive water cut in testimony to Congress on June 14 was a public bombshell of sorts. A week earlier, with a heads-up from the federal government, the Lower Basin states talked about collectively, with Mexico, cutting up to 2 million acre-feet during a meeting in Salt Lake City, the emails and interviews showed.<\/p>\n

But as the weeks passed and proposals were exchanged, the Lower Basin states barely reached half that amount, and the commitment was nowhere near firm, the emails showed. Adding to the difficulty was not knowing what Mexico, which also has a share of the river<\/a>, might contribute.<\/p>\n

In a series of exchanges through July, Arizona and California each proposed multiple ways to achieve cuts, building on existing agreements<\/a> tied to the levels of Lake Mead, factoring in the water lost to evaporation or inefficient infrastructure, and fiercely protecting a priority system, though it was clear negotiators were becoming weary.<\/p>\n

The states shared disdain for a proposal from farmers<\/a> near Yuma and southern California to be paid $1,500 an acre foot for water they conserved. Former Central Arizona Project general manager Ted Cooke responded by suggesting the farmers make it work at one-third of the price, which still was higher but closer to going rates.<\/p>\n

In late July, Harris, of California, emailed a proposal to the Bureau of Reclamation outlining scenarios in the range of 1 million acre feet in cuts, saying it was imperative negotiators be able to \u201cdeclare some level of victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOtherwise,\u201d he wrote, \u201cI genuinely believe that we are at an impasse, and we\u2019re all headed to a very dark place.\u201d<\/p>\n

But ultimately, Arizona and Nevada never felt that California was willing to give enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was futile, it wasn\u2019t enough,\u201d Cooke said in an interview. \u201cWe did not trust that California was going to come through on their piece of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

By then, Reclamation privately told the states \u2013 but didn\u2019t acknowledge publicly \u2013 that it backed away from the supposed mid-August deadline, officials involved in the talks said. Beaudreau, the deputy Interior secretary, said in an interview the deadline was never meant to create an ultimatum between reaching a deal and forced cuts.<\/p>\n

But state officials said when it became clear the federal government wouldn\u2019t act unilaterally, it created a \u201cchilling effect\u201d that removed the urgency from the talks because water users with higher-priority water rights were no longer at risk of harsh cuts, Arizona\u2019s Buschatzke said in an interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout that hammer, there was a different tone of negotiations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Today, the Interior Department\u2019s priority remains ensuring Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam have enough water in them to maintain hydropower, and the department will do whatever is necessary to ensure that, Beaudreau said.<\/p>\n

The Upper Basin states of New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado \u2013 which historically haven\u2019t used their full supplies \u2013 are looking toward the Lower Basin states to do much of the work.<\/p>\n

Reclamation is now focused on weighing the latest round of comments from states on how to save the river. Nevada wants to count water lost to evaporation and transportation in water allocations \u2013 a move that could mean the biggest volume of cuts for California \u2013 and some Arizona water managers agree, comment letters obtained by the AP show.<\/p>\n

But disputes remain over how to determine what level of cuts are fair and legal. California\u2019s goal remains protecting its status while other states and tribes want more than old water rights taken into account \u2013 such as whether users have access to other water sources, and the effects of cuts on disadvantaged communities and food security.<\/p>\n

Reclamation\u2019s goal<\/a> is to get a draft of proposed cuts out by early March, then a final decision before mid-August, when Reclamation regularly announces how much \u2013 or how little \u2013 river water is available for the next year.<\/p>\n

\"A
A car drives along a dirt road near Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, near Boulder City, Nevada. More than 10% of the water carried by the Colorado River evaporates, leaks or spills as the 1,450-mile powerhouse river of the West flows through the region\u2019s dams, reservoirs and open-air canals. (John Locher\/AP Photo)<\/span>John Locher<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"People
People walk by cracked earth in an area once under the water of Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, near Boulder City, Nevada. More than 10% of the water carried by the Colorado River evaporates, leaks or spills as the 1,450-mile powerhouse river of the West flows through the region\u2019s dams, reservoirs and open-air canals. (John Locher\/AP Photo)<\/span>John Locher<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Water
Water flows down the Colorado River downriver from Hoover Dam in northwest Arizona, on Aug. 14, 2022, near the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. More than 10% of the water carried by the Colorado River evaporates, leaks or spills as the 1,450-mile powerhouse river of the West flows through the region\u2019s dams, reservoirs and open-air canals. (John Locher\/AP Photo, File)<\/span>John Locher<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

obtained by The Associated Press, one water manager said, \u2018We’re all headed to a very dark place.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1462,529,1030,28,294],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-36034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-colorado-river","tag-conservation","tag-environment","tag-headlines","tag-water-supply"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36034"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=36034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}