What happens when key stakeholders in Southwestern water management come together at the same table? Competing uses and the need for collaboration become more clear, and the path to solutions becomes murky.Water managers in the Colorado River Basin, which supplies water to seven states, 10 tribes and Mexico, have become increasingly concerned about drought after two major reservoirs, essentially water savings accounts, ran low in 2018. At a Rocky Mountain PBS “Water Week”event, representatives from the Southern Ute Tribe, Durango Utilities Department, Southwest Water Conservation District and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation mulled the future of water in the West. They are preparing for less water and pushing for collaboration in a drier future. “We have 19th-century laws and 20th-century infrastructure that we’re trying to use to solve 21st-century problems. I see that every day,” said Susan Behery, a hydraulic engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation. Rocky Mountain PBS organized “Water Week” events to bring Colorado-based organizations and communities together to share resources, education and diverse perspectives about Western water issues. Wednesday’s event, hosted by the Four Corners Water Center at Fort Lewis College, centered on an advanced screening of the Rocky Mountain PBS documentary “Western Water – and Power.” The documentary covered the creation of the large infrastructure projects that control the Colorado River and its tributaries and the conflicts baked into the West, where the saying goes, “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting.” To view the full article visit the Durango Herald.
