The Department of the Interior is initiating the formal process to develop future operating guidelines and strategies to protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River.
The new guidelines will replace the 2007 Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and the Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which expire at the end of 2026. Glen Canyon Dam, which impounds Lake Powell, provides water for a 1,320 MW hydroelectric powerhouse and Hoover Dam, which impounds Lake Mead, provides water for a 2,078 MW hydropower plant.
The public process will gather feedback, including new strategies that take into account the current and projected hydrology of the Colorado River Basin. The basin is facing an historic drought, driven by climate change, that is increasing the likelihood of warming temperatures and continued low-runoff conditions, and therefore reduced water availability, across the region.
“Developing new operating guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake Mead is a monumentally important task and must begin now to allow for a thorough, inclusive and science-based decision-making process to be completed before the current agreements expire in 2026,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “The Bureau of Reclamation is committed to ensuring we have the tools and strategies in place to help guide the next era of the Colorado River Basin, especially in the face of continued drought conditions.”
This process is separate from recently announced efforts to protect the Colorado River Basin through the end of 2026. The Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to revise the December 2007 Record of Decision will set interim guidelines through the end of 2026; the process announced today will develop guidelines for when the current interim guidelines expire.
The Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement asks the public to consider the past 15 years of operating experience since adoption of the 2007 Interim Guidelines, as well as how the best-available science should inform future operational guidelines and strategies that can be sufficiently robust and adaptive to withstand a broad range of hydrological conditions. The NOI also asks the public to consider how and whether the purpose and elements of the 2007 Interim Guidelines should be retained, modified or eliminated to provide greater stability to water users and the public throughout the basin. The NOI will be available for public comment until Aug. 15, 2023.
While the post-2026 process would only determine domestic operations, it is anticipated that the International Boundary and Water Commission will facilitate consultations between the U.S. and Mexico, with the goal of continuing the Binational Cooperative Process under the 1944 Water Treaty.
President Biden’s Investing in America agenda includes plans to protect the short- and long-term sustainability of the Colorado River System. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Reclamation is investing $8.3 billion over five years for water infrastructure projects, including water purification and reuse, water storage and conveyance, desalination and dam safety. The Inflation Reduction Act is investing an additional $4.6 billion to address the historic drought.
