Wyoming Joins Discussion To Save The Colorado River

Western states share their water resources. They need to, since water in the West is scarce.

Researchers have recently published a 13-page paper, “Analysis of Colorado River Basin Storage Suggests Need For Immediate Action.”

Negotiations between the seven Colorado River Basin states (Colorado, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) remain ongoing.

The threat of federal involvement is looming.

The Colorado River has been in decline since the turn of the 21st century, as the population in Western states has exploded.

Studies warn that water storage could be drained within a few years if the issue is not taken seriously.

“ Unfortunately, if this coming winter is as bad as this past winter, we're going to be dealing with a significant problem,” Dr. Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University, told The Center Square. He added later, “If we don’t change our behavior, we will be in a water management crisis. Things will get very difficult.”

The study draws attention to what they called “realistic storage,” or the water level in reserves that the U.S. Bureau of Land Reclamation has previously stated it would not go below.

The Colorado River Compact is a 1922 agreement that regulates water distribution among seven states in the Southwestern United States. The contract is about the area within the drainage basin of the Colorado River.

A more recent 2023 agreement, which the Lower Basin states of Arizona, California, and Nevada agreed to conserve water in exchange for federal payments.