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Coastal desalination could save Colorado’s water. The pushback? Cost
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Coastal desalination could save Colorado’s water. The pushback? Cost

By Michael J Badagliacco, “MJB” | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s water rights must never become a bargaining chip.  The 1922 Colorado River Compact apportioned 7.5 million acre-feet annually to the Upper Basin, including Colorado, and the same amount to the Lower Basin states. The 1928 Boulder Canyon Project Act fixed specific Lower Basin shares: California 4.4 million acre-feet, Arizona 2.8 million acre-feet, and Nevada 0.3 million acre-feet. The 1948 Upper Colorado River Basin Compact later assigned Colorado roughly 51.75% of the Upper Basin’s share, or about 3.86 million acre-feet. The 1964 Arizona v. California Supreme Court decree confirmed federal oversight of these mainstream allocations while highlighting the need for supply solutions beyond repeate...
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Colorado River reality check: The problem isn’t the compact, it’s overuse.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Colorado River reality check: The problem isn’t the compact, it’s overuse.

By Steve Harris | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice This is my final article on the centennial of the Colorado River Compact (CRC) and the 75th anniversary of the Upper Colorado River Compact (UCRC), collectively referred to as the ‘Compacts.’” In water time, the Compacts are not that old. I have been in the water business in the Colorado River basin for 50 years – half of the CRC’s life – and watched how people viewed the implications of the Compacts over time. The Compacts have gone from background documents to front and center of water discussions. Lake Mead Fall 2022, Photo Credit: John Norton There has been a lot of hand-wringing in the media and some groups about the CRC being based on 15 million acre-feet (MAF), even though at the time there was an assumed aver...
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A small river with big influence: How the La Plata shaped western water law
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

A small river with big influence: How the La Plata shaped western water law

By Steve Harris | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Editor’s note: If you’re just joining the Water Time Reflections series by Steve Harris, this is Part 4 of 6 marking 100 years since the Colorado River Compact. Earlier pieces traced how the compact was conceived, debated, and ultimately divided the river. Here, Harris turns to the lesser-known La Plata River Compact—another milestone negotiated in 1922 that shaped interstate water law. The La Plata River Compact is also over 100 years old. It was negotiated between Delph Carpenter from Colorado and Stephen Davis from New Mexico during 1922 and finalized at Bishop’s Lodge in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I could not find minutes or detailed information on the negotiations between Carpenter and Davis and so relied upon informa...
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When did the Upper and Lower Basin of the Colorado River become a thing?
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

When did the Upper and Lower Basin of the Colorado River become a thing?

By Steve Harris | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice And other insights from the 1922 Colorado River Compact negotiations Though I was not in attendance in 1922 (don’t laugh), the minutes of the negotiations are very thorough. At the first Commission meeting starting on January 30, 1922, the negotiations were centered on separating the Colorado River flow by the potential for irrigated lands in each state. Reclamation—only about 20 years old at the time—had made surveys of the potential irrigated lands in each state. The acreages are listed in the minutes of the first meeting. Miss the first piece? Read: “Harris Water Time” and the Colorado River Compact’s century of lessons Colorado River Commission delegates meet in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1922. Secretary of Commerce...
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