Kempthorne Signs Record of Decision for Colorado River

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The seven basin states are Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico in the upper basin and California, Arizona and Nevada in the lower basin. The Colorado River Compact and the other laws and regulations that make up "the law of the river" determine the amount of water to which each state is entitled. In 2004, after a prolonged drought and Lake Powell was only one-third full and Lake Mead was two-thirds full, the upper basin states requested that the secretary of interior release less water from Lake Powell than the normal release of 8.23 million acre feet, the secretary refused, but initiated this process. The agreement signed by Kempthorne on Thursday sets out the conditions under which smaller releases from Lake Powell could occur. The agreement will remain in effect until 2026. "This agreement will benefit Colorado because it avoids litigation and promotes cooperation between the seven basin states by focusing our efforts on river augmentation and increased water efficiency," said Scott Balcomb, Colorado's representative to the interstate negotiations. Harris Sherman, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, thanks Balcomb, attorney Jim Lochhead, and the staffs of the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Office of the Attorney General for their efforts to reach the agreement. "This agreement is the culmination of countless hours spent meeting with our counterparts and analyzing hundreds of possible scenarios, said Sherman. With this agreement in place, other Colorado River negotiations will continue, including the international discussions between the United States and Mexico about opportunities to work together to increase efficiencies and augment water supplies through various means.