If we don't turn around and have a good precipitation year--we're in a 10-year drought cycle in the Colorado River basin--we're looking at the possibility, within a couple years, of having to declare a shortage in the Lower Colorado River basin.
Connor warns about potential water shortages in the Colorado River basin.
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More from Michael L. Connor
We need to invest more in resilience. There is no question about it, given all the factors that you just enunciated.
Promises of more water to irrigation in Oregon and calls for less funding for fishery protection create the appearance of a political shell game that no one can win.
Indian water rights settlements, when they are done right, produce critical benefits for tribes and bring together communities.
I would like to recognize that for over 25 years, the Federal government, together with Indian tribes, states, and local parties, have acknowledged that negotiated Indian water rights settlements are preferable to the protracted litigation.