Colorado River Update: Media Highlights “Leadership Failure” Destroying Colorado River

Hi Friends of the Colorado River,

Yesterday, we were pleased to join our independent environmental-organization colleagues in a press conference highlighting the problems, and solutions, to the chaos on the Colorado River.

Let’s be point-blank and loud and clear — the status quo is a disaster, the river is collapsing, and it’s all a hi-stakes leadership failure by the seven states trying to negotiate an outcome.

In that vacuum, we are pleased to be a co-presenter of this new report, “There’s No Water Available: Commonsense Recommendations to Limit Colorado River Conflict,” that was highlighted in numerous media reports yesterday and today.

The Report, supported by our colleagues — Great Basin Water Network, Utah Rivers Council, Glen Canyon Institute, Living Rivers, Sierra Club, and our Save The Colorado — offers nine commonsense recommendations to address the problems on the Colorado River and chart a path forward for the next two decades.

Media stories about the Report include the highlights below and about a dozen others:

• Las Vegas Journal: “Leadership failure is putting Lake Mead in peril“
• Colorado Public Radio:  “New report calls for policy changes with Colorado River on the cusp of failure“
• E&E News: “Coalition urges deeper cuts in Colorado River water use“

We are always ready to step in and lead when the actual leaders continue to fail us, and this Report, and the media attention around it, do exactly that. The nine recommendations include:

1. preventing new dams and diversions,
2. sharing water cuts among states,
3. improving hydrology data,
4. modifying Glen Canyon Dam
5. serving water to Tribes
6. increasing water recycling,
7. stabilizing groundwater decline,
8. preserving endangered species,
9. and improving agricultural irrigation.

We greatly thank the Great Basin Water Network for taking the lead on this Report!

And we thank you, our supporters, for all of your donations and ongoing commitment that keeps us working hard.

You can donate online here: https://savethecolorado.org/donate/

Gary Wockner, Director, Save The Colorado