Voices: We represent the Upper Basin states, and it’s time we manage the Colorado River we have — not the one we want

For more than half a century, the seven Colorado River Basin states and the Bureau of Reclamation have cooperatively managed the Colorado River by adhering to the commitments outlined in the 1922 Colorado River Compact. The compact states that its major purpose is “for the equitable division and apportionment” of Colorado River water uses between the Upper Basin (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) and the Lower Basin (Arizona, California and Nevada).

The seven signatory states committed to manage their uses within those original apportionments. Now, the seven states need to devise new solutions to operate the major reservoirs and manage uses after 2026 consistent with those original commitments.

As representatives of the Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, we are committed to a fair, common sense, data-driven approach that balances the needs of all stakeholders. Our approach is to adapt Colorado River operations and uses to the annual available water supply using the best available science and tools while we continue to meet our responsibilities and commitments to our communities, our states and the Basin. We are planning for and will manage the river we have, not the river we want.

The Colorado River is a fragile resource that more than 40 million people depend on, from Pinedale to Phoenix. The river supports vital economies across the seven states, such as agriculture, cities and industries. The River also supports energy production across the Upper Basin States and generates hydropower that serves Tribes, military bases and rural communities, as well as protects the entire western electric grid.

More than 90% of the river comes from the annual snowpack, which occurs almost entirely in the Upper Basin. Warming temperatures are making river flows increasingly volatile and uncertain and have intensified since the Colorado River Compact was signed in 1922. Getting the next set of Colorado River operating rules right demands that we manage uses within the river we have.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Upper Basin used an average of about 4.3 million acre-feet per year for the past 20 years, well below the 7.5 million acre-feet apportioned under the compact. In 2021, an extremely dry year in the basin, the Upper Basin used 3.9 million acre-feet while the Lower Basin used almost 11 million acre-feet: 7.1 million acre-feet from the mainstream Colorado River, an estimated 1.3 million acre-feet of evaporation and losses, and an estimated 2.6 million acre-feet from Lower Basin tributaries.

Annual hydrologic variability forces the Upper Basin states to manage uses within the means of the river, which hinders our ability to develop our full compact apportionment. Each year, water managers across the Upper Basin shut off water users when flows are low, adapting uses to the available supply. This is painful to individual Upper Basin water users but is necessary to continue to manage our uses consistent with actual hydrology and the rights and obligations under the 1922 Compact.

As part of the negotiations to establish post-2026 operating rules, we have offered an Upper Division States Alternative, a common-sense, data-driven solution to the Colorado River’s challenges. Our proposal benefits the entire basin by aligning uses and operations with actual water supply and includes voluntary conservation in the Upper Basin. Reclamation has released a description of potential Colorado River water management alternatives to guide development of the post-2026 Colorado River operating rules. We believe the Upper Basin Alternative is within the range of options outlined by Reclamation.

When people discuss the river in terms of water demands, they are talking about the river that used to be. We simply can’t do that anymore. We cannot operate based on the hope that the river will supply the same amount of water year after year in the face of aridification and severe drought. The Upper Basin Alternative includes painful reductions, but these are necessary to adapt to the river we have and to protect the system.

Deciding when to reduce Colorado River water uses and whose uses are reduced is arguably the most important decision the states can make. Through careful water rights administration, the Upper Basin reduces use by about 30% in dry years, living with the river we have. We stand ready to continue to do our part in the critical task of preparing the Basin for a drier future.

Our commitment over the next year is to work with our sister states of Arizona, California and Nevada to proceed towards a seven-state consensus-based solution that protects the entire basin.

Climate change is already here in the Colorado River Basin. Adapting to actual hydrologic conditions, which the Upper Basin does every year out of necessity, can provide a model for equitable and sustainable river use across the entire system. With the current guidelines expiring in 2026, our shared responsibility must be to prioritize the Colorado River’s future by aligning water use with the available supply.

It’s time to live within the means of the river we have.

Brandon Gebhart is the Wyoming commissioner for the Upper Colorado River Commission.

Estevan Lopez is the New Mexico commissioner for the Upper Colorado River Commission.

Becky Mitchell is the Colorado commissioner for the Upper Colorado River Commission.

Gene Shawcroft is the Utah commissioner. for the Upper Colorado River Commission.

The Salt Lake Tribune is committed to creating a space where Utahns can share ideas, perspectives and solutions that move our state forward. We rely on your insight to do this. Find out how to share your opinion here, and email us at voices@sltrib.com.