A group of Colorado River experts is calling for big changes in the way we manage the shrinking water supply.
The group says the Colorado River is on the cusp of catastrophe where dams stop working and old agreements can no longer be carried out.
Zach Frankel, director of the Utah Rivers Council, says ongoing negotiations lack transparency, and aren’t moving quickly enough.
"We're so clearly not addressing the depth of challenge we're facing," Frankel said, "and what we're asking is, is it because of the process?"
Frankel says every state that uses the Colorado River needs to come up with ways to use less, and the region needs to rethink how and where it stores water as reservoirs drop to record lows.
Some say policymakers need to act more quickly to respond to climate change. Kyle Roerink is with the nonprofit Great Basin Water Network.
"We're so far away from meeting the moment right now, the moment might as well be on another planet," Roerink said.
Roerink says negotiations between the seven states that use the river need to be more transparent.
Other river experts are stressing that negotiators need to rethink how and where we store water, as dams and reservoirs drop to record lows.
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Tucson City Council meetings were packed with residents protesting Project Blue data center residents were concerned about excessive energy and water use. -
The seven Colorado River basin states have less than a week until a deadline to put forward a plan for how to divide up water in the over-allocated river. -
Matthew Olsen, associate project manager with ADEQ, says the agency is working with small water utilities outside Star Valley and Globe, where the chemicals have been found. -
Salt Lake City, Utah has a unique challenge ahead of it as it looks forward to hosting the 2034 Winter Games: Its namesake Great Salt Lake — is drying up. -
Low snow totals across the Colorado River basin are threatening to shrink major reservoirs and making water managers anxious.
