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In Drying Colorado River Basin, Indian Tribes Are Water Dealmakers
March 4th, 2021
Via Circle of Blue, a look at how native Americans – who hold 20 percent of the basin’s water rights – will shape the future of the Southwest: Mired in drought and torched by one of the hottest years ever measured, the seven states of the Colorado River Basin are acutely aware of how a […]
Read more »Future Upper Colorado River Basin Water Use Estimates Confound Planning
March 3rd, 2021
Via The Colorado Sun, an article on the complexity and politics involved in Colorado River water use estimates: Some water experts fear that a long-held aspiration to develop more water in the Upper Colorado River Basin is creating another chance to let politics and not science lead the way on river management. “Alternative Management Paradigms […]
Read more »The Colorado River Crisis Is a National Crisis
February 8th, 2021
Via The New Republic, an article on how Colorado River drought and water supply issues could soon affect 12 percent of Americans: The Colorado River supports over 40 million people spread across seven southwestern states, 29 tribal nations, and Mexico. It’s responsible for the irrigation of roughly 5.5 million acres of land marked for agricultural […]
Read more »Drought-stricken Colorado River Basin Could See Additional 20% Drop in Water Flow by 2050
February 1st, 2021
Via Yale Climate Connections, a look at how the region is transitioning to a more arid climate, challenging longstanding practices of water-sharing in the basin: Colorado is no stranger to drought. The current one is closing in on 20 years, and a rainy or snowy season here and there won’t change the trajectory. This is what […]
Read more »Wall Street Eyes Billions in the Colorado’s Water
January 4th, 2021
Courtesy of The New York Times, an article on how investor interest in the Colorado River could redefine century-old rules for who controls one of the most valuable economic resources in the United States: There is a myth about water in the Western United States, which is that there is not enough of it. But […]
Read more »Mexico’s Water Dispute With the U.S. Is a Symptom of Its Governance Crisis
November 10th, 2020
Via World Politics Review, commentary on US / Mexico water tensions: For nearly 75 years, the United States and Mexico have transferred giant quantities of water to each other each year as part of a system set up to ensure the equitable sharing of water sheds that straddle their border. The terms and obligations are […]
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