Opinion: How can policymakers find long-term sustainability for the Colorado River amid this crisis? Here are 3 ideas.
By Margaret Garcia and Elizabeth Koebele opinion contributors, The Arizona Republic
The Colorado River Basin is in the midst of a sustainability crisis.
Climate change and severe drought, coupled with historic overallocation of the river, have caused water users to rapidly drain the system’s major reservoirs to their lowest levels since construction.
Prior water management actions, such as urban water conservation, infrastructure efficiency investments, and water delivery reductions, have bought Colorado River water users time. But that time is now running out. Some water users are already experiencing dire effects of this crisis, while others prepare for cuts looming on the horizon.
Colorado River Basin policymakers stand at a critical juncture. They have an opportunity to avert more severe impacts of the crisis by implementing policy and management changes that go beyond the relatively incremental steps taken thus far.
How do we find long-term sustainability?
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