Great Basin Water Network and Living Rivers released the following statements after the Bureau of Reclamation shared snapshots of the Alternatives relating to the upcoming Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on the post-2026 operations for reservoir management at Lakes Mead and Powell.
The Bureau provided a preliminary opportunity to look at its proposed conservation alternatives that could likely appear in the DEIS when it is released next year. But that disclosure comes without the benefit of having available all the science and implications that accompany any credible document created pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, of which this review for reservoir management is the subject.
However, this preliminary release allows the public to see where the negotiations are headed and the challenges ahead. The suite of proposals also allows the public to ascertain the variances in the ongoing impasse between the Upper and Lower Basin states.
QUOTE FROM KYLE ROERINK, GREAT BASIN WATER NETWORK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
“Releasing bullet points on alternatives without the full analysis is like sharing a recipe that only lists a few of the ingredients. We can only make assumptions about what this all means in the grand scheme. This PR tactic underscores the uncertainty that is swirling around future river management as a new administration prepares to take office. The river needs basin-wide curtailments, agreements to make tribes whole, a moratorium on new dams and diversions, commitments for endangered species, and new thinking about outdated infrastructure. In reading the tea leaves, the conflict between the upper and lower basins’ respective visions remains palpable. There is a major fight over managing Lake Powell’s elevations that has not yet been resolved.”
QUOTE FROM JOHN WEISHEIT, LIVING RIVERS, CONSERVATION DIRECTOR
“Some of the insights we can glean from the suite of alternatives is that water managers in the Upper Basin are still obsessing over Glen Canyon Dam elevations that are going to be impossible to manage in the future. The Upper Basin must come to grips with reality unless we want to strangle cities like Phoenix, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, reservations, endangered species, and our vital agricultural ground. We need a framework that spreads the burden beyond Lower Basin States. Nevertheless, the Upper Basin clings to its paper water like babies to their bottles.”
CONTACTS:
Kyle Roerink
Executive Director
Great Basin Water Network
702-324-9662
John Weisheit
Conservation Director
Living Rivers
435-260-2590