Water 2025: Preventing Crises and Conflict in the West

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Ramify dMvi rubar I Exasfing Water Suppifies are inadequate In some areas the water supply will not be adequate to meet all demands for water even in normal water years. Inevitable droughts merely magnify the impacts of water shortages. Severe droughts can have dramatic effects. During 2002: Rainfall in the Colorado River basin was the lowest in recorded history. -Rio Grande flows in New Mexico were at 13 percent of normal; Elephant Butte Reservoir held only 19 percent of its capacity, the lowest water level since the dam was built in the early 1900s. Boise, Idaho, had one of its driest calendar years on record. -Extended drought and a reduced water supply have placed a great strain on the communities on the Lower Rio Grande. However, the potential for conflict over water supplies is no longer defined by drought events. Water supply and management issues are becoming increasingly important as the demand on existing supplies continues to grow. Increasing populations in many areas, combined with increasing demand for water for recreation, scenic value, and fish and wildlife habitat, have resulted in conflicts throughout the country, especially in the and West. Congressional Research Service report for Congress, "Water Resource issues in the 107th Congress," by Betsy Cody and H. Steven Hughes, January 16, 2001