The International Boundary and Water Commission is responsible for implementing water treaties between the United States and Mexico.

 

By Nancy L. Pontius, Special Correspondent

 

Littleton, Colorado — In the arid western United States, water is vital and scarce. Constant, competing demands for water must be met by the Colorado River. Water from the Colorado River affects more than 26 million people — it is used by industries, for hydroelectric power generation, for recreation and mineral production, plus for the needs of livestock and wildlife. About 1.6 million hectares (4.5 million acres) of agricultural land in Mexico and the United States are irrigated from this river.

 

“It is a big balancing act” to try to satisfy the competing users and interests that need Colorado River water, Robert King, chief of interstate streams with the Utah Division of Water Resources, told America.gov. Simply stated, there is not enough water in the river system to satisfy all the demand, he said.

 

From a huge drainage basin covering almost 632,000 square kilometers (244,000 square miles), the Colorado River supplies water to Mexico, 10 American Indian tribes and parts of seven states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

 

Within each state, the highest priority for using river water goes to the oldest claims for water rights, which is referred to as “first in time, first in right,” or prior appropriation. “First priority usually goes to agricultural users for irrigation, as [modern] cities came last and therefore often have the lowest priority,” Terry Fulp, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s deputy regional director for the lower Colorado region, told America.gov.

 

Read more: http://www.america.gov/st/webchat-english/2009/May/20090519132309HMniets...

 

Bureau of Reclamation's Lower Colorado Region
Managing the lower Colorado River and water resource projects and programs in Arizona, southern California, and southern Nevada.

http://www.usbr.gov/lc/

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http://www.usbr.gov/uc/

The 1956 Colorado River Storage Project Act has had a significant impact on the development and management of water in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The 1956 act authorized construction of the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP) which allowed for comprehensive development of the water resources of the Upper Basin states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) by providing for long-term regulatory storage of water to meet the entitlements of the Lower Basin states (Arizona, California, and Nevada). The Colorado River Storage Project is one of the most complex and extensive river resource developments in the world.

There are four initial storage units built as part of the CRSP: The Wayne N. Aspinall Unit in Colorado (Blue Mesa, Crystal, and Morrow Point Dams), Flaming Gorge Unit in Utah, Navajo Unit in New Mexico, and Glen Canyon Unit in Arizona; and a number participating projects (16 of which have been completed or are in process of completion). The purposes of the CRSP identified in the 1956 act include regulating the flow of the Colorado River, storing water for beneficial consumptive use, providing for reclamation of arid and semi-arid lands, providing flood control, and generating hydropower. The CRSP also provides for recreation and improves conditions for fish and wildlife.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s, public concern over the environment resulted in new federal environmental laws. The enactment of the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act, the 1973 Endangered Species Act, and the 1992 Grand Canyon Protection Act outlined new requirements for the protection and enhancement of fish, wildlife, and the environment. Administration of these laws has modified the operation of CRSP facilities.

 

The dams of the CRSP main storage units have a combined live storage capacity of 30.6 million acre-feet and power generation capabilities to provide over five billion kilowatt-hours of energy annually. Glen Canyon Dam is the largest of the CRSP facilities and is the key unit for controlling water releases to the Lower Basin. In 1970, the Criteria for Coordinated Long-Range Operation of Colorado River Reservoirs (Operating Criteria) was established to provide for the coordinated operation of reservoirs in the Upper and Lower basins and set conditions for water releases from Lake Powell and Lake Mead. In accordance with the Operating Criteria, an objective release of 8.23 million acre-feet per year is targeted for downstream delivery.

The multipurpose CRSP has not only been integral to the development of the arid West, it has also played a vital sustaining role through extended periods of drought. The many benefits provided by the CRSP are essential to life in the West today.