Colorado River doomsday averted? Some hopeful as top water official visits desert

The nation's top Western water official visited the Coachella Valley on Thursday to highlight federal funding for infrastructure that carries Colorado River water to area farm fields. The visit comes during a break in heavy winter storms across the West that are buoying hopes among regional water officials for a temporary reprieve on potentially huge cuts to river supply.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton was mum on whether heavy snowpack in the Rockies and elsewhere could push back massive reductions she told Congress last spring were necessary to keep the river and its reservoirs afloat. But California officials are cautiously optimistic that major reductions could be averted this year.

Noting that overall river flows this year are now forecast to be 113% of average thanks to “huge snowpack” in the Rockies and elsewhere, Tina Shields, water manager for the Imperial Irrigation District, which holds by far the largest rights to Colorado River water, said while it's not enough to solve the long-term shortages, “it's better than average. And it's at least a little bit of breathing space as we move forward.

She said the final decision is up to federal officials, but added, "I think doomsday may get pushed off another year, and give us some time to craft some solutions that can be implemented and are more reasonable.”

Touton, standing near a stretch of the Coachella Canal in Thermal, instead touted $60 million in low-interest loans to the Coachella Valley Water District from the nearly $1 trillion Biden Infrastructure Law passed last year.

The funds will be used for two purposes:

• to replace 15 miles of nearly 70-year-old concrete pipelines off the canal that are leaking in numerous spots; and

• to replace “box” structures at a key juncture, where large flows of canal water are diverted to more than than 22,000 acres of farmland, according to the Coachella Valley Water District.

The work, set to begin this year, will increase operational efficiency, increase water conservation, and improve customer service, CVWD spokeswoman Lorraine Garcia said in an email.

CVWD board member and former California Colorado River Commissioner Peter Nelson said the event "was a good time to recognize the century of collaboration between CVWD and USBR." He thanked Touton and the reclamation bureau for the $60 million loan agreement, saying it "is another example of infrastructure investment" to meet the valley's water needs and keep rates low while guaranteeing reliable service.

The backing comes as the reclamation bureau celebrates its 120th year. Founded to “reclaim” arid, sparsely settled lands across the West for agriculture via a series of massive dams, reservoirs and canals in 16 states, its Colorado River system alone now provides drinking water for nearly 40 million people in seven western states and Mexico.

That river system has sunk to historic lows due to overuse and prolonged drought made worse by climate change. But above average snowfall that feeds the river system via spring melt could provide some temporary relief.

“I don’t have a gloom and doom report. I almost don’t know what to do … things are looking good,” Shields said in an update to board members on Tuesday.

Shields said by email on Thursday that her report was her personal opinion, based on timelines previously forecast by the bureau to potentially breach critical reservoir elevations that were "based on dire hydrology, and we are not seeing that this year. " She also noted her agency is still waiting for federal approval for an extensive water conservation program of its own from a different pot of money, and the time is quickly passing to develop contracts, solicit bids and seek necessary permits.

"IID ... has not received any definitive timeline on a response regarding IID’s conservation funding proposal, and the longer it takes to know what funding is available (and when), the longer it will take IID to initiate the other steps," she said. "From a calendar perspective, the longer it takes to start a program, the smaller the conservation potential is in 2023."

California and other states are talking to each other again

The wet winter and concerted efforts by some officials also have tamped down a war of words over who should absorb the most cuts. U.S. Department of Interior officials who oversee the reclamation bureau have said that this spring they'll release a "supplemental environmental impact" draft that would outline a range of immediate options to prop up the river system until 2026, when previous carefully negotiated agreements expire.

The options could range from doing nothing to imposing federal cuts that could face immediate lawsuits to signing off on consensus plans written by affected states.

After widely publicized dueling plans and finger pointing by California and six other states at the end of January, key officials are talking again, and Arizona, Nevada and the Golden State may be able to forge a consensus plan for the so-called Lower Basin of the river below Lake Mead after all. That’s according to JB Hamby, recently elected California’s Colorado River commissioner.

He said he reached out to those states’ top water officials to politely introduce himself, and extend an invitation to talk.

"There's been a productive dialogue among the lower basin states, and that's been going in the right direction," said Hamby. He declined to comment on whether extreme measures proposed by each side - such as starting to account for large evaporation losses in California's allowed total, or imposing even greater cuts on Arizona and Nevada, had been eliminated by mutual agreement. But he also noted that the amount of water that would need to be saved this year would very likely be reduced thanks to a bounty of cold weather storms.

The three states have also banded together to push back against a request by Upper Basin states, which include Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, to pause drought relief releases of water from Flaming Gorge in the more northern reaches of the river system this month. Hamby noted every drop possible is needed to bring up the still extremely low levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two main river reservoirs.

On Thursday, as Coachella Valley farmers displayed fresh produce destined for grocery stores across the region and the U.S., the power of the reclamation bureau's century-long efforts to water parched desert land were vividly on display under mild, sunny skies.

But Shields cautioned that it was a bit too soon to breathe a total sigh of relief. If the snowpack melts too fast due to warm spring rains and floods for instance, and either sinks into local soil or evaporates off bone dry dirt before it reaches river tributaries and basins, the celebrations will be off.

“Despite the huge snowpack, we need to see what actually flows into the (river) system and that will be greatly impacted by the kind of spring we have,” she said. "Fingers crossed."

And Nelson said the long-term prognosis is still grim. "We all know the variable nature between wet and dry years will soon again take us to the brink of a crisis. Taking action to address low levels in (Lakes) Powell and Mead is as important as ever."

Janet Wilson is senior environment reporter for The Desert Sun. She can be reached at jwilson@gannett.com or on Twitter @janetwilson66

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Colorado River doomsday averted? Some hopeful but top water official mum