With rising tensions over a dwindling supply of water from the Colorado River, Wyoming and six other states have until Nov. 11 to hammer out a deal for water allocation or the federal government will step in and settle it for them.
The main point of conflict is between the river’s Upper Basin states, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico – and the Lower Basin states; Arizona, Nevada and California.
In a nutshell, the Upper Basin states claim that the Lower Basin states are hogging water, leaving them with too little for their own pressing needs.
Water rights for the states, Native American tribes, Mexico and other entities along the river were allocated under the 1922 Colorado River Compact, which remains in effect.
If the Upper Basin and Lower Basin can’t settle their differences by Nov. 11, the federal government is set to intervene, through Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
‘Supply-Based Solution’
The Colorado River doesn’t flow through Wyoming. Even so, Wyoming is considered a headwaters state for the Colorado River, because the Green River is a major tributary.
So what happens downstream affects Wyoming, particularly as water has gotten scarce over the past 25 years or so.
For example, roughly 163,000 acres of agriculture irrigation was shut off this year in Wyoming’s Upper Green River Basin, according to the Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC).
Moreover, Wyoming has developed about only 30% of the water rights allocated to it under the 1922 Compact, according to UCRC.
The commission is an interstate administrative agency made up of appointed representatives from each of the four states. Wyoming’s representative is state engineer Brandon Gebhart.
The goal is to find a “supply-based solution” for water use, UCRC spokeswoman Kendra Westerkamp told Cowboy State Daily.
In other words, a plan for 2026 and beyond that’s based upon what the river can actually supply, she said.
“You can’t create more water out of nothing,” she said.
Shortages Have Become Wyoming’s Normal
This year’s irrigation cutbacks in the Upper Green River region are nothing new, Kevin Payne, Division IV Superintendent of the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office, told Cowboy State Daily.
“We’re making cuts all the time. It’s hard to get water when you don’t have water,” he said.
It’s become “kind of normal with hydrological shortages,” he said.
Drought conditions have persisted off and on for about 25 years, he added.
“There have been some good years. But there have also been a lot of bad years,” Payne said.
Irrigated crops along the Green River are mostly grass hay, used to feed cattle, he said.
There’s also been concern over getting enough “town water” for small communities in the Upper Green River Basin, such as Mountain View, he said.
Recent rains and snowfall have taken some of the edge off this year’s shortages, he added.
‘Sacrifices Aren’t Abstract’
The crux of the Upper Basin states’ argument is that the Lower Basin states aren’t doing enough manage the demand for water from large metropolitan areas in arid landscapes, such as Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Instead, they just keep demanding more water from upstream, the UCRC claims.
“The Upper Basin’s sacrifices aren’t abstract; they carry real human and economic consequences. As Colorado River negotiations continue, Upper Basin leaders are clear: river operations must adapt to the actual supply and prioritize rebuilding storage to restore resiliency,” according to the UCRC.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.