Will The Colorado River Get Fracked?  Two months ago, when cancer-causing benzene from fracked gas was detected in Parachute Creek just four miles upstream of the Colorado River, the news media in Colorado started reporting about the threat to drinking water supplies for 35 million people.  Fracking is escalating wildly across the Colorado River basin in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, and heading towards Southern California. Fracking uses vast amounts of water and involves serious concerns about health and environmental risks associated with the cancer-causing fracking chemicals as well as the disposal of billions of gallons of toxic wastewater.  In this exclusive blog post on Ecowatch, Save The Colorado provides a survey of the threat of fracking across the Colorado River basin.  Please click through here and read “Will The Colorado River Get Fracked?”  This river is the lifeline of the Southwest U.S. — protecting its water supplies and watershed are of paramount importance as the spread of fracking overtakes the landscape.

Colorado River Environmental Leaders Summit!  Last week, representatives from over a dozen environmental groups met in Salt Lake City to discuss future planning to protect and restore the Colorado River.  The Summit was convened by the Glen Canyon Institute with a pre-summit event the night before with the Utah Rivers Council.  Save The Colorado provided an update to Summiteers about our work over the past year and our proposed work for 2013.  Also attending the Summit were The Nature Conservancy, Living Rivers, Conservation Colorado, National Parks Conservation Association, Western Resource Advocates, Grand Canyon Trust, EcoFlight, American Rivers, National Geographic, Natural Resource Defense Council, Earthjustice, and Protect The Flows. 2012 was a big year of success because of efforts to stop the Flaming Gorge Pipeline, restore flows to the Colorado River Delta, and address the Colorado River Basin Study.  More future success is coming!

Can Los Angeles Help Save The Colorado River?  Cities in the Los Angeles area are moving forward with alternative water supply opportunities to help decrease their reliance on the Colorado River.  Focusing on water recycling, water efficiency, better groundwater management, and stormwater recycling these cities are planning to dramatically ramp up alternative sources which could save 40 billion gallons of water per year.  In addition to better protecting the Colorado River, these alternative water supply systems could create green jobs, reduce greenhouse emissions, and protect coastal water quality from hazardous stormwater runoff.  What this alternative water supply planning shows is that all cities — but especially those relying on the Colorado River — can make easy and important strides toward protecting rivers without relying on massive new dams and diversions.  Let’s face it — if Los Angeles can do it, can’t any city do it?!  Check out this great blog from the Natural Resources Defense Council on the topic.

Thank you for your support!

Question of the day!  Can you save an endangered fish by introducing another predator fish?  As you know, the Colorado River was named the Most Endangered River in America three weeks ago.  The news stories around this announcement covered many of the issues threatening the river.  But what got little coverage was the plight of fish in the river that are federally listed as “endangered” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

This past week, an interesting turn of events focused attention on these endangered fish and a controversial plan to help recover them.  This Denver Post article is about an attempt by the State of Colorado to protect the endangered fish by introducing another predator fish.  Colorado wants to introduce Tiger Muskies (pictured above) so that the Muskies will eat Northern Pike so that the Pike will no longer eat the endangered fish which include the Humpback Chub, Bonytail, Colorado Pikeminnow, and Razorback Sucker.  Here’s the question of the day — will it work??  We launched this question on our Facebook page and a lively discussion ensued.  Click through here to read the comments and join the discussion.

Will all of the rain and snow in Colorado help the river and the drought?  April was one of the snowiest months on record in Colorado, which will help streamflows in the Upper Colorado River basin, but in California the drought is still causing intense concern and problems.  This KBPS radio story discusses the long-term drought in California and how it continues to stretch water supplies throughout Northern and Southern California.  Of note, California will be dipping farther into its reservoirs to provide water due to the lack of rain and snow across the lower portion of the state.  Further, yesterday California Governor Jerry Brown proclaimed California Wildfire Awareness Week and in his speech he linked the frequency and intensity of wildfires to climate change and “more insane” weather.  Take a read of this article in Huffington Post here.

Publicity about the Colorado being the “Most Endangered River in America” continues to pile up, with editorials and blogs following the news stories of three weeks ago.  Here’s an editorial in the Las Vegas Review Journal titled, “To Save The Colorado River, Drastic Action Required Now.”  The bathtub ring around Lake Mead, and Las Vegas’ attempt to build a billion-dollar pipeline out into Lake Mead, provide examples of the threat to the river and the lengths to which agencies are going to get water out of it.  It’s time for the Congress to act and help protect and restore the river — you can take action here to send an email to your U.S. Senators.

Thank you for your support!

As you know, last week the national river protection organization, American Rivers, announced that the Colorado is the most endangered river in America.  With this announcement came hundreds of news stories across the U.S.  The Associated Press version of the story was picked up by dozens of news outlets — take a read of that version here, which included excellent comments from Assistant Secretary of Interior, Anne Castle, who said: ”The river is the essential foundation to the health and prosperity of the American Southwest,” Assistant Interior Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle said in a statement. It “provides multiple and diverse benefits including water supplies for agriculture and people, outdoor recreation, clean energy generation, and unparalleled ecosystems.”  We greatly appreciate the Assistant Secretary’s comments and her diligence in supporting efforts to protect and restore the river over the last few years.

American River didn’t just make the announcement though, they created a pathway for citizen action to protect and restore the river.  The U.S. Congress can take leadership to help move this issue forward by better recognizing the endangered river and by investing money in water conservation and river preservation efforts across the Southwest U.S.  You can help us all out by clicking here to send an email to your members of Congress.  Several thousand people who want to protect and restore the river have already taken action — please click through now.

Thank you for your support of the Colorado River!  Stay tuned for more news, information, and action items you can take to help protect and restore this amazing resource.

Today, the national river protection organization, American Rivers, named the Colorado as the Most Endangered River In America!

You Can Take Action Now — click through here to send an email to Congress!

Of course, that’s both bad news and good.  Bad, because it’s true — the threats to the river are nearly cataclysmic with supply outreaching demand and with the river’s ecosystem already stretched and depleted.  But it’s also good because it will bring attention to this amazing river and give you the opportunity to Take Action Now.  You can click right here and send a message to Congress to start protecting the Colorado River!

Take a look at this amazing video about the Most Endangered River in America.  It feeds us, fills our souls, provides for over 30 million people throughout the Southwest U.S.  The Colorado River is the Nile of the American Southwest, it runs through nine national parks including the Grand Canyon.  It starts in the snow-capped peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park.  But we have stretched it to the breaking point.

Newspapers across the U.S. are covering this story today, but you can help take a news story and turn it into a reality of action (click here!) . You Can Do It!

First, please click through here and take action now to contact members of Congress and ask them to protect and restore this great river.

Second, get on twitter and let your friends — and the world — know that we need to protect and restore this great river for future generations of people and for the natural ecosystem itself.  Sample tweets, below — go for it!:

Put #CORiver on path to recovery. Tell Congress to support smart water mgmt, conservation & efficiency http://bit.ly/savecoriver #MER2013

#CORiver supports 4M acres land, 15% of US crops, $26B recreation economy. Act now to protect it. http://bit.ly/savecoriver #MER2013

#CORiver: Building a dam/reservoir/pipeline won’t make it rain. Conservation is the key. http://bit.ly/savecoriver #MER2013 

Thank You For Your Support!

Gary Wockner, Director, Save The Colorado River Campaign

Conflicts over water in the Colorado River basin seemed to ratchet up this past week at the same time that President Obama’s nomination for Secretary of Interior, Sally Jewell, was confirmed in the job.

First, in a long-awaited and tense decision, the Governor of Utah, Gary Herbert, rejected an agreement with the Southern Nevada Water Authority in Las Vegas that would have piped water from central Utah down to Las Vegas.  The decision sent shock waves throughout the Southwest U.S. and is surely to increase water wars as cities and states struggle over the last drops of water in the Colorado River and beyond.  Environmentalists in Utah heralded the agreement as a victory for Utah, as well as a victory for smarter water policy.  The Save The Colorado River Campaign has been proud to support our friends in Utah who have been fighting this project, including the Utah Rivers Council who were quoted in this Salt Lake Tribune article:  ”This is a great decision for Utah, and we are grateful to the governor for doing the right thing,” said Zach Frankel, director of the Utah Rivers Council. “The water project was not just another environmental disaster, it was about to be a dust bowl that would choke the West’s people and environment with toxic dust.”

Second, tensions are rising in Western Colorado as oil and gas chemicals are seeping towards and into Parachute Creek, a tributary to the Colorado River.  The toxic chemicals have been found in the groundwater surrounding the creek, with cancer-causing benzene at levels 3,600 times higher than what is allowed by public health laws.  Nearby residents are concerned that the chemicals may have impacted wells and drinking water supplies fed by the creek.  This incident is just one example of the legacy of current and past extreme energy extraction — including oil, gas, tar sands, uranium, coal, and more — that threaten water quality throughout the Colorado River basin.  This Denver Fox News video hits the target as locals near Parachute Creek highlight the fact that when pollution enters the groundwater and the Creek, it could quickly travel downstream and contaminate water supplies for 35 million people in the Southwest U.S.

Into this mix steps the new Secretary of Interior, Sally Jewell.  Yesterday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Jewell as the replacement for former Secretary Ken Salazar.  Jewell’s confirmation swept through the Senate with an 87-11 vote and was met with hope by many leaders in the environmental community.  Jewell has some big Tevas to fill as a replacement for Salazar with regards to the Colorado River. Salazar helped push through some important changes in river science and management, as well as a “Call To Action” from the Colorado River Basin Study.  This EcoWatch.org article highlights several quotes from national environmental leaders about Jewell’s confirmation.

On some bright news in Colorado River water supply issues, the City of Los Angeles is making strides towards an innovative approach to increasing its water supplies as well as controlling its stormwater runoff that pollutes beaches and bays along the coast.  The City’s program to begin recycling stormwater into drinking water was highlighted in the New York Times this week — it promises to address these two growing problems for the City.  In addition, environmental organizations throughout Los Angeles and beyond are supporting the effort.  The Save The Colorado River Campaign has been proud to support the Los Angeles Waterkeeper’s work to help the City of Los Angeles recycle its stormwater.  If Los Angeles can do it, can’t every city in the Southwest do it?  Yes!  Take a read of the New York Times article here.

Thank you for your support!  Stay tuned for more Colorado River updates!

When public officials do the right thing to support the Colorado River, we like to let them know. When they do the wrong thing, we also like to let them know.

In San Diego, one right thing is happening so we are happy to thank the Mayor of San Diego, Bob Filner, and two members of the City Council for continuing to move forward with a water recycling program and facility.  Two weeks ago, the Council’s Natural Resource Committee voted to move forward on the City’s water recycling and purification program, a process that will eventually allow San Diego to purify its wastewater into potable drinking water. Eighteen months ago, our Save The Colorado River campaign visited San Diego’s water recycling facility — it’s an impressive technology that will help meet water supply demands without further taxing the Colorado River.  If San Diego can do it, can every city in the Southwest U.S. do it?  We say yes!  Our friends at the San Diego Coastkeeper have been hard at work for years helping to make this happen — you can read more about the Council Committee vote on Coastkeeper’s website here.  Please take a moment to send a quick tweet thanking Mayor Filner, such as: “Thank you @BobFilnerMayor for supporting water recycling in San Diego. It helps protect the #CORiver! bit.ly/Z71c0G”

And unfortunately the wrong thing is continuing to happen with the State of Colorado.  Two weeks ago, Jennifer Gimbel who is the Director of Colorado’s Water Conservation Board (CWCB), continued to make public comments about draining more water out of the Colorado River.  Despite Colorado John Hickenlooper’s talk about “starting every discussion about water with conservation,” Gimbel’s leadership at CWCB continues to promote more dams, diversions, and pipelines.  We are very disappointed in Gimbel and the CWCB in this regard.  To let her know, we’ve created a page on Facebook where you can click through and “like” or comment about your disappointment too.  Please click through here to read more about it and tell Gimbel to focus on conservation first, not draining more water out of the Colorado River.

As you all know, the threats to the Colorado River are significant, including human population growth, climate change, energy extraction, and several proposals for new dams and pipelines.  In a recent National Geographic blog, Jennifer Pitt begins a much-needed discussion about adaptation strategies when climate change occurs.  The good news is that some cities have water conservation efforts that prove that all cities can become more resilient in the face of climate-change induced drought.  Take a look at this blog here.

Thanks for your support!

What can you do to help the Colorado River and its tributaries today?  Take The Pledge!

We are delighted to let you know that a new effort to protect and restore the Colorado River and its tributaries has launched through National Georgraphic and its partners called “Change The Course.”  For each person that pledges to reduce their water use, NatGeo and its partners will restore 1,000 gallons of water back to the Colorado River.  This effort was successful last year in restoring water to a tributary of the Colorado River in Northwest Colorado, and with the drought looming in the Southwest U.S., the effort will be even more needed in 2013.  All you have to do is visit the website, Change The Course, and take the pledge to reduce your water use.  NatGeo and its non-profit and corporate partners will buy or lease water to keep the Colorado River flowing.  Check it out here and Take The Pledge to Change The Course!

Last week, the Save The Colorado River Campaign had the pleasure of being represented on a panel discussion at the Center for American Progress in Washington D.C.  As a part of the D.C. Environmental Film Festival, the Center hosted a screening of Robert Redford’s Watershed Movie.  After the movie — which was attended by a standing-room only audience! — the panel members discussed the film and the Colorado River.  Panelists included Anne Castle of the Department of Interior, Gary Wockner of Save The Colorado River, and Sandra Postel of National Geographic.  The discussion focused on the achievements of 2012 as well as the challenges facing the river in 2013 and beyond.  We thank the Center of American Progress for inviting us!  Because so much of the Colorado River is administered by the U.S. federal government, we expect to spend more time reaching out to policymakers at the federal level in 2013. You can watch the panel discussion on the Center’s website here.

Big Water Fight In Utah!  (yes, yet another one…)  This week a large coalition of groups is reaching out to Utah Governor Gary Herbert, strongly urging him to NOT support a pipeline scheme that would siphon some of Utah’s water 200 miles down to Las Vegas.  This fight has been brewing for a long time as Las Vegas continues to grow and attempt to get more water from every available source.  A few of the groups in the coalition are grantees of Save The Colorado’s philanthropy and so we are happy to join them in this outreach effort.

In our opinion Las Vegas needs to dramatically increase its water conservation programs.  Further, if the Las Vegas area continues to be obsessed with increasing population growth, it should refocus on reducing water-wasting sprawl through hi-density growth patterns.  Utah’s Governor Herbert should say NO to this crazy pipeline scheme and give Utah citizens a voice in this process so that their water is not piped 200 miles south to Las Vegas.  You can read the press release from the large coalition of groups here.

Stay tuned for more weekly news, and thank you for your support!

Coalition Calls upon Utah Governor NOT to Approve West Desert Water Mine

^{Las Vegas Water Grab Would Unleash Public Health and Environmental Disaster} 

Salt Lake City (UT).   A coalition of interests is calling upon Governor Gary Herbert not to sign an agreement allowing Nevada to suck 40 billion gallons of water every year in a water mining operation in the Utah-Nevada Desert.  After years of controversy and studies showing the project would devastate farming and ranching border communities, the resources of the Goshute Indian Nation and fish and wildlife populations in both states, Governor Herbert appears poised to sign the agreement.

“If Governor Herbert approves this agreement, he will set in motion a tragic long term ecological disaster with a cascade of impacts upon our health, agriculture, recreation and the economy that will last for decades” said Zach Frankel with Utah Rivers Council.  “Few governors are given such a monumental decision to make and he should wait to hear what the public thinks about this water mine before allowing the West Desert to become a barren dust bowl” said Frankel.

The groups are organizing a “call in march” on Gov. Herbert’s office, asking all Utah residents to call his office every day between now and April 1 and insist he refuse to sign the agreement.  A Rally will be held Thursday night at 7:00 pm in Salt Lake at 2240 South 900 East.

“If ever there was a Utah environmental issue that transcends all political, moral, and economic demographics, this is it,” said Tim Wagner with the Sierra Club. “The Governor has to know that not kowtowing to a handful of Las Vegas politicians is a sign he cares about Utahns first.”

The groups cite numerous studies that show if the project goes forward, an area the size of Vermont would see its water table drop hundreds of feet, native vegetation would be denuded, critical springs will dry up and rural farm and ranch communities will turn into ghost towns.

“The decision about whether to mine this water won’t just affect Utahns, it will reverberate across a vast geography and many economic sectors” said Gary Wockner, of Save the Colorado, a Denver philanthropic organization. “Governor Herbert should give Utahns the chance to voice their concerns before he rushes to sign this agreement” said Wockner.

Two dozen organizations will submit a letter of concern to the Governor on Friday, outlining their strong opposition to the pipeline because of the long list of community, health, economic and environmental impacts the water mining operation will place upon Utahns.

The loss of vegetation covering the West Desert landscape will cause massive regional dust storms that will further impact the air quality of the Wasatch Front, one of America’s dirtiest airsheds.

“Utah is already in the national spotlight for the worst winter time air pollution in the country” said Dr. Brian Moench, president of Utah Physicians for Healthy Environment.  “Over 200 physicians asked Governor Herbert to declare this a public health emergency.  These dust storms will be far worse, and once they start there will be nothing anyone can do to stop them” said Moench.

Officials from the Governor’s Administration claim they have no way of stopping the $15 billion water mining operation, but the courts are routinely used to challenge water projects between states, water suppliers and members of the public.

“The argument that signing the agreement gives Utah the best legal protection is a smokescreen” said Jana Richman, author of The Ordinary Truth, a novel published in 2012 about the Las Vegas pipeline. “The Governor’s office is willing to spend millions of taxpayer dollars in absurd legal battles trying to grab land from the federal government, but he’s too worried about legal costs to protect not only the water of Utahns but their health as well?”

“There is no single act Governor Herbert could take that would have a more negative impact on the lives of every Utahn than the signing of the agreement with SNWA. He cannot sign that agreement with the best interests of Utah residents at heart; there’s no way to reconcile that” said Richman.

Since the Governor just announced he will hold a series of public hearings across the State this summer to get input about water in Utah, his arbitrary April 1 deadline to make a decision on the destructive Las Vegas water mining operation appears intended to preclude the public from speaking against the agreement.

“This is one of Utah’s most critical water issues and most Utahns are opposed to giving Utah’s water to Las Vegas. ” said Christi Wedig, executive director of Citizens’ for Dixie’s Future.  “Why would Governor Herbert hold public meetings but not let the public speak to one of the most important water issues of the decade before he makes it?” asked Wedig.

“This decision will touch all generations to come” said Lynn de Freitas, Executive Director of Friends of the Great Salt Lake. “At the very least, the People of Utah should be given the opportunity to be heard and the Governor should have the wisdom to listen before making his decision.”

History shows what happens when such water diversion projects are allowed to happen. Two of the most notorious examples include Owens Valley, CA and the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan, where previously healthy desert ecosystems completely dried up, turning large regions into dust bowls, devastating communities and severely impairing public health.

“Utah officials are already failing to protect us from dangerously polluted air. The last thing Gov. Herbert should do is green-light a water grab that could lead to dangerous dust storms and further threaten public health,” says Christopher Thomas, HEAL Utah Executive Director.

“Trout Unlimited is opposed to signing this agreement” said Bob Dibblee, President of the State Council of Trout Unlimited.  “There are important populations of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout in the West Desert that will be impacted by this project.”

“Nevada water managers are ignoring the very studies they themselves have completed. Even without placing additional straws into various storage reservoirs, the demand will completely exhaust the available supply.  A train wreck of destruction is assured if Governor Herbert approves this depletion” said John Weisheit, CoFounder of Living Rivers and the Colorado Riverkeeper.

“Among the many concerns we have about this agreement is that it will lower water tables in Utah and Nevada and impact the life-sustaining resources that sustain Great Basin National Park” said David Nimkin, Senior Director, Southwest Region for the National Parks Conservation Association.

For More Information 801-699-1856

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With another drought looming throughout the Southwest U.S., water conservation is making all of the news.  First, two conservation groups, Citizens for Dixie’s Future and Western Resource Advocates, just rolled out a new report titled “The Local Waters Alternative To The Lake Powell Pipeline.”  This report highlights that Southwest Utah cities can get 60% of the water they need for the future just by conserving.  The report serves as an alternative to the proposed environmentally destructive Lake Powell Pipeline, and provides hard scientific analysis about the role water conservation can and should play if cities across the Southwest U.S. continue to grow.  Here’s the website for the report, with the Executive Summary available here.  Please keep up the great work in Southwest Utah!

Second, as drought continues to grip the Front Range of Colorado and the headwaters of the Colorado River, cities from Colorado Springs to Denver to Fort Collins have instituted lawn watering restrictions.  It’s important to remember that throughout Colorado and the Southwest U.S., watering lawns accounts for about 50% of residential water use.  Not only do we need to stop this wasteful watering (and mowing and fertilizing) of lawns, we need to switch to xeriscape landscapes.  In the meantime, to protect water supplies and river flows, lawn watering restrictions are the best stop forward.  The drought is so severe in Colorado that Denver Water says 8 feet of snow is needed in the mountains over the next 2 months to ward off the restrictions.  Here’s the Denver Post article discussing the gripping drought and watering restrictions.

Third, a new voice is emerging in the Southwest U.S. from a group of young farmers who support agricultural water conservation as a means to protect agriculture as well as healthier streamflows in rivers. In this editorial that was published in the Grand Junction Sentinel, Kate Greenberg with the National Young Farmers’ Coalition reaches out to Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, pushing his “Start With Conservation” message.  The editorial (click through to read it here) is titled “Colorado’s Young Farmers Ready To Join Governor In Conservation” and highlights the petition Start With Conservation — if you haven’t signed the petition on Care2.com’s website, please click through and sign it so that the Governor knows that farmers and river enthusiasts both want him to focus his administration on water conservation.

If the spring continues to be this dry, all the news that’s fit to print may be about drought and endangered rivers.  Stay tuned for more information and how you can help.

Thank you for your support!

Please take a quick read of this editorial that appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune last week.  Thanks!

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Advice for Jewell on protecting Colorado River

By Gary Wockner
March 7, 2013

President Obama’s pick for Interior secretary could be a stroke of genius. Sally Jewell, a former CEO in the outdoor recreation industry, will inherit a job that is one of the biggest recreational employers in the U.S. No, not the Department of Interior, but the recreational industry along the Colorado River.

According to a report released in 2012 by business coalition Protect the Flows, the Colorado River powers a $26 billion recreation economy that employs a quarter-million Americans. Volumes of outdoor lovers flock to the banks of the river and its tributaries each year to enjoy boating, fishing, birding, hunting, hiking and other river-related activities, in turn supporting jobs and local businesses that exist to serve them in their outdoor adventures. If the Colorado River were a company, it would be the 19th largest employer in the Fortune 500.

As Jewell steps into the boat, the mighty Colorado is overtasked more than ever. Here are some of the key actions that must be addressed to keep that job creation – and the river itself – alive:

Make Water Conservation a Priority: Jewell should put the conclusions of the “Colorado River Water Supply and Demand Management Study” into action. Supported by former Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, the study found that to keep supplying water to a growing population, as well as to protect and restore the river, water conservation is the cheapest, quickest, easiest path forward. By investing in water conservation first and foremost, Jewell can make sure that cities and states throughout the Southwest United States protect the river and the economy that depends on it.

Permanently Restore Colorado River Delta: Secretary Jewell can help implement the significant (but temporary) U.S.-Mexico water agreement signed by former Secretary Salazar that restores a small flow of the Colorado River to its dried up Delta where, drained and diverted upstream, it no longer reaches the Gulf of California. With a modest water supply, the Delta can increasingly thrive, providing respite for migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway and renewing a natural system that supplies life and resiliency to both nations. Secretary Jewell can help to make the agreement permanent for the benefit of future generations.

Reject River Draining Diversions: Jewell can oppose new large-scale diversions and pipelines costing billions of dollars that would further drain and destroy the Colorado River. Projects like the proposed Gila River Pipeline taking water from the Colorado tributary Gila River in Southwest New Mexico, likely to a municipality along the Rio Grande, would create substantial reductions in flows causing monumental losses for communities, tourism and countless businesses whose livelihoods depends on the river.

Make Tough Decisions Dealing with Climate Change: Climate change is already shrinking the Colorado River’s water supply, and predictions are that supplies could shrink further by 9 percent to 20 percent in the coming decades. The Colorado River Basin Study proposed numerous options to address these dwindling water supplies including water sharing agreements with farmers, using groundwater supplies, and retrofitting powerplants. With water levels lowering from climate change induced evaporation in both Lake Powell and Lake Mead, Jewell may need to help make hard choices about which reservoir lives and which gets drained, and “liquidate” resources that are not performing in a climate-changed system.

Keep the River Healthy: Most importantly, Jewell will have to pay close attention to the health of the river itself. Its stream banks, habitats, and species are severely endangered by dams and diversions that continue to drain and manipulate water levels. Newly proposed water supply projects would further imperil environmental resources in the river basin.

Fortunately, outgoing Secretary Salazar has left a commendable legacy by prioritizing the health of the Colorado River, and Jewell can draw on the good will he created among the business and environmental communities. The facts are plain, but daunting: Some 36 million people (and growing) in the Southwest use Colorado River water; at the same time a multibillion-dollar recreational industry powering Southwest communities and cities depends on keeping the river flowing. We urge Secretary Jewell to continue the Department of Interior’s outstanding work, and astutely balance the many needs placed on this “Mother of Rivers” as she takes the helm of the riverboat in March.

Welcome to the Colorado River, secretary nominee Jewell.
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Reprinted with permission from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Gary Wockner is director of the Save The Colorado River Campaign, a project of three sustainability minded companies, New Belgium Brewing, Patagonia, and Clif Bar. http://SaveTheColorado.org