Colorado River water

[Moneypitt]

Ran across this in the local paper.....Hmmmmm, new reservoir.......?
7 states, U.S. sign pact on Colorado River water
By Ken Ritter
The Associated Press
Friday, December 14, 2007
LAS VEGAS — Seven Western states signed a sweeping agreement on Thursday to conserve and share scarce Colorado River water, ending a divisive battle among the thirsty rivals.
More than 30 million people in California, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico are affected by the historic agreement.
The 20-year plan, which took effect with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne's signature, resolved several legal disputes among water agencies and formalized rules to cooperate during the ongoing drought gripping the region.
A key element of the drought plan lets the lower-basin states of California, Nevada and Arizona use the vast Lake Mead reservoir behind Hoover Dam to store water they conserve or don't need for use later.
For the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, that arrangement could mean storing almost 1.5 million acre-feet of conserved water in the lake, said Timothy F. Brick, the chief of the MWD board. The district is the water wholesaler to 26 cities and water districts serving some 18 million people.
"This landmark new plan will help California recover some of the water reliability that Mother Nature has taken away during the eight years of record drought," Brick added.
The plan specifies how and when agencies in each state will face reductions during drought, and set new rules allowing the reservoirs of lakes Powell and Mead "to rise and fall in tandem, thereby better sharing the risk of drought," Kempthorne said.
The agreements also establish rules for handling surplus water in times of plentiful runoff, and they encourage water conservation.
"It's easy to be gracious when you have a surplus," Kempthorne said. "It is far tougher in a time of scarcity."
Another agreement lets the Las Vegas-based Southern Nevada Water Authority build a reservoir just north of the U.S. border in California to capture excess water that would otherwise flow into Mexico.
In return for funding the project, expected to cost more than $175 million, Las Vegas will be allowed to draw up to 400,000 acre-feet of water to slake the thirst of a fast-growing region that has reached the limit of water it can draw from Lake Mead. Officials say an acre-foot, or about 326,000 gallons, is about enough water to supply two southern Nevada homes for a year.

[burtandnancy2]

WOW, thats really great news, if it works. If the lake comes back, guess I'll have to get back into boating...

[RitcheyRch]

Just hope they dont restrict boating on the lake and the river.

[McIntyrelocal]

i would think that would bring the all of the rivers water level to an averge depth year round.of course it verys by location but that means we shouldnt have to worry about flow charts anymore on the lower river where i go.

[Boatcop]

Just hope they dont restrict boating on the lake and the river.
Don't worry. They won't.
Just think of all the new jobs that will be created in the Yuma area. I hope they check legal status of their workers.
My only fear, is that the last time they tried to create a reservoir north of the US/MX border, it was an utter disaster. I hope they learned their lessons from the past.
Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea#Creation_of_the_current_Salton_Sea)

[RitcheyRch]

Thats good to hear. Wonder if this will mean the water level will ALWAYS be high in Blythe.
Don't worry. They won't.
Just think of all the new jobs that will be created in the Yuma area. I hope they check legal status of their workers.
My only fear, is that the last time they tried to create a reservoir north of the US/MX border, it was an utter disaster. I hope they learned their lessons from the past.
Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea#Creation_of_the_current_Salton_Sea)

[Mandelon]

Don't worry. They won't.
Just think of all the new jobs that will be created in the Yuma area. I hope they check legal status of their workers.
My only fear, is that the last time they tried to create a reservoir north of the US/MX border, it was an utter disaster. I hope they learned their lessons from the past.
Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea#Creation_of_the_current_Salton_Sea)
They could use that "excess water" to keep Salton Sea cleaner. Then we could send them the Salton Sea water instead.... :idea: :D I joke, but I am serious.....put the fresh water in at the top, and the old water out at the bottom, and it would flush out in a number of months....Salton Sea real estate would be worth many millions of dollars if the lake was clean.....

[Mandelon]

Ran across this in the local paper.....Hmmmmm, new reservoir.......?
7 states, U.S. sign pact on Colorado River water
By Ken Ritter
The Associated Press
Friday, December 14, 2007
LAS VEGAS — Seven Western states signed a sweeping agreement on Thursday to conserve and share scarce Colorado River water, ending a divisive battle among the thirsty rivals.
More than 30 million people in California, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico are affected by the historic agreement.
The 20-year plan, which took effect with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne's signature, resolved several legal disputes among water agencies and formalized rules to cooperate during the ongoing drought gripping the region.
A key element of the drought plan lets the lower-basin states of California, Nevada and Arizona use the vast Lake Mead reservoir behind Hoover Dam to store water they conserve or don't need for use later.
For the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, that arrangement could mean storing almost 1.5 million acre-feet of conserved water in the lake, said Timothy F. Brick, the chief of the MWD board. The district is the water wholesaler to 26 cities and water districts serving some 18 million people.
"This landmark new plan will help California recover some of the water reliability that Mother Nature has taken away during the eight years of record drought," Brick added.
The plan specifies how and when agencies in each state will face reductions during drought, and set new rules allowing the reservoirs of lakes Powell and Mead "to rise and fall in tandem, thereby better sharing the risk of drought," Kempthorne said.
The agreements also establish rules for handling surplus water in times of plentiful runoff, and they encourage water conservation.
"It's easy to be gracious when you have a surplus," Kempthorne said. "It is far tougher in a time of scarcity."
Another agreement lets the Las Vegas-based Southern Nevada Water Authority build a reservoir just north of the U.S. border in California to capture excess water that would otherwise flow into Mexico.
In return for funding the project, expected to cost more than $175 million, Las Vegas will be allowed to draw up to 400,000 acre-feet of water to slake the thirst of a fast-growing region that has reached the limit of water it can draw from Lake Mead. Officials say an acre-foot, or about 326,000 gallons, is about enough water to supply two southern Nevada homes for a year.
The current plan had been "use it or lose it" regarding each state's allotment. California was able to use the other states unused allotment. Now the states will be able to bank their excess water in Lake Mead. So hopefully Mead will fill back up, and possibly Powell.
Of course we still need a couple extra wet winters. Another 5 years of drought, and Powell will be drained out.....:(

[ULTRA26 # 1]

Ray, thanks for the good news. :)

[DILLIGAF]

I heard MX had some voice in all of this. FOCK THEM! We DO NOT owe them any of that water as far as I am concerned. If there was some agreement prior to all of this screw them anyhow. Just the way it is and should be.

[Mandelon]

I heard MX had some voice in all of this. FOCK THEM! We DO NOT owe them any of that water as far as I am concerned. If there was some agreement prior to all of this screw them anyhow. Just the way it is and should be.
Riparian rights predate modern law. Things are different in the western US, but Mexico has an historic right to a portion of the river's flow, as well as a guaranteed amount based on past treaties.
Senator's Wash down near Yuma is used for keeping that flow up to give them the water they are entitled to. I would heartily agree that it would be smart to not send anymore down than we were obligated to.

[DILLIGAF]

Riparian rights predate modern law. Things are different in the western US, but Mexico has an historic right to a portion of the river's flow, as well as a guaranteed amount based on past treaties.
Senator's Wash down near Yuma is used for keeping that flow up to give them the water they are entitled to. I would heartily agree that it would be smart to not send anymore down than we were obligated to.
FOCK Riparian also :)

[DILLIGAF]

Riparian water rights
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Riparian water rights (or simply riparian rights) is a system of allocating water among those who possess land about its source. It has its origins in English common law. It is used in the United Kingdom and states in the eastern United States.
Under the riparian principle, all landowners whose property is adjacent to a body of water have the right to make reasonable use of it. If there is not enough water to satisfy all users, allotments are generally fixed in proportion to frontage on the water source. These rights cannot be sold or transferred other than with the adjoining land, and water cannot be transferred out of the watershed.
Riparian rights include such things as the right to access for swimming, boating and fishing; the right to wharf out to a point of navigability; the right to erect structures such as docks, piers, and boat lifts; the right to use the water for domestic purposes; the right to accretions caused by water level fluctuations; the right to view and protection of view. Riparian rights also depend upon "reasonable use" as it relates to other riparian owners to ensure that the rights of one riparian owner are weighed fairly and equitably with the rights of adjacent riparian owners.
In the western United States, water rights are generally allocated under the principle of prior appropriation, which treats water as a resource unrelated to land.
The last paragraph may solve this Riparian rights issue with MX......

[Boatcop]

Mexico's right to Colorado River water is the subject of an International Treaty between the US and Mexico. It states that XXX number of Acre feet per year is alloted to Mexico. It is superior to any Interior US allocations. Meaning that Mexico WILL get it's water, even if the Western States have to give up some of theirs.
Mittry Lake was made for that purpose. It stores water when flows are good, and lets out water when it's not. Mexico gets that XXX acre feet. Not one drop more or one drop less. (Except in 1983, during the flood) Storage of water in Mittry means that their allocation has little, if any, effect on water levels and/or allocations to the Western States. At least presently. If the current drought continues unabated, Mexico's water allocation will affect the rest of us.
There is also a multi-million dollar desalination plant to remove salts and nitrates deposited in the River from farm run-off. The result of a lawsuit filed against the US for violating the Treaty calling for "good" water.

[ParkerSteve]

Would like to see desalination plants on all coasts. We should start building now. Anyone know how big a operation would be to support LA?

[Boatcop]

There have been a few proposed in California. One is going through litigation as we speak. But the NIMBY crowd and envirowkackos are raising hell with it.
It's supposed to go in just North of San Diego on the Coast, and according to the builders will actually help the wildlife and lagoons, but the locals and greenies are putting up a fight.

[Moneypitt]

This article mentions Powell and Mead, as well as a new reservoir down south. What about the effects on Mohave, (Davis dam) and Havasu, (Parker dam).....Seems like alot down stream are gonna suffer for water level until the Powell/ Mead levels are reached..... A little un sure of what all this means.......MP

[shueman]

Banking water...I like it... :cool:

[pspoolman]

Thats good to hear. Wonder if this will mean the water level will ALWAYS be high in Blythe.
I hope not, I don't want to see 30' cats in Blythe :D

[Mandelon]

I've posted this before, but if the southwest continues to grow in population, Nevada and AZ will be purchasing parts of California's allotment and building desal plants for us.
Desal plant is in the works for Carlsbad. Its making headway but the trouthuggers are making it hard. The idea is to desal and purify the cooling water used in the electrical plant already there.

[BajaMike]

I've posted this before, but if the southwest continues to grow in population, Nevada and AZ will be purchasing parts of California's allotment and building desal plants for us.
Desal plant is in the works for Carlsbad. Its making headway but the trouthuggers are making it hard. The idea is to desal and purify the cooling water used in the electrical plant already there.
It's my understanding it takes a pretty big power plant/nuke plant to power the desalination plants.
I think Catalina has one, and thats where they get all thier drinking water.
:idea:

[burtandnancy2]

As I understand, there isn't enough in our economy to build large desalination plants to be effective, and as Boatcop and others have pointed out there is the NIMBY factor. One of the biggest desal plants in the world was built in Saudi, but in their case there was NO budget.
Lets just hope mother nature puts more water in Powell and Mead, that should take care of eveyone else down stream including Mexico...

[Not So Fast]

I read yesterday in the paper that with first stages of an imposed water allocation due to reduced water levels that Nevada and Arizona would be the ones facing cutbacks while Calif. wouldnt be impacted??:confused: Whats up with that??
The dam at the border makes sense to me but the tree huggers will most likely put their $.02 in and screw that up too. Plus Mex will bitch. NSF

[Moneypitt]

Seems to me that Mexico is alloted XXX amount of water for it's citizens...OK, But, 10 to 50 million:sqeyes: of them are HERE drinking OUR water. Seems like we could reduce Mexico's share by the approximate number of them that are here:idea: ......MP

[burtandnancy2]

Good thinking, Moneypit, you're smarter than the average bear. And President Calderone says where ever there are Mexicans, is Mexico, so that should solve it. No water for you...

[Mandelon]

Seems to me that Mexico is alloted XXX amount of water for it's citizens...OK, But, 10 to 50 million:sqeyes: of them are HERE drinking OUR water. Seems like we could reduce Mexico's share by the approximate number of them that are here:idea: ......MP
I like it.
Water has a monetary value right? We spend millions of dollars on taking care of illegals medical bills and incarceration, education, etc.
Track the costs, and deduct the costs in water........:idea: Of course there probably isn't enough water in the whole river system to cover that much money......:( :rolleyes:

[uLtRADeNniS]

I also hear a lot of the big sandbars/rockbars on the river are being dredged. From what I heard from the Tribal Department, they are starting around the Avi bridge this winter and working their way down to Needles. :confused: :idea:
..If true Im looking really forward to this!

[RT21]

I hope not. Dont want to see 30' cats north of the bridge. Keep them in New Blythe, where they belong!...:)