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has given us an interesting preview of the situation that we're probably going to be facing on a fairly common basis 20 to 25 years from now as our populations continue to grow and as the Upper Basin continues to develop its portion of the Colorado River," said Culp, now an attorney with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey. "As a result, the situation we are facing in the drought today may well be the situation we face on a day -to -day basis in the not - too- distant future." The ongoing seven -state meetings were a major topic of discussion at a September 2005 Colorado River Symposium, "Sharing the Risks: Shortage, Surplus and Beyond," sponsored by the Foundation. In addition to statements following the release of the seven -state framework, some of the material from the biennial symposium is included in this issue of Western Water. A complete written transcript of the symposium will be published later this spring. And additional background on these issues is available in our Layperson's Guide to the Colorado River, and previous issues of River Report and Western Water. Climate and Drought Seasonal precipitation defines the Southwest where winter snow and spring runoff evaporate under the heat of the summer sun and a dry fall. To provide year -round water in this arid region, federal, state and local officials built a series of dams and reservoirs to capture the runoff in wet seasons and store it for use in dry seasons. Such a system is especially impor- tant for the Colorado River, a water- way known as the lifeline of the Southwest. The river supplies the water needs for 28 million people and 3.5 million acres of farmland. The 1922 Compact effectively divided the water between the Upper Basin and the Lower Basin. Each basin was effectively granted 7.5 million acre - feet each. In addition, the Lower Basin was granted use of an additional 1 million acre -feet of Colorado River system water. A subsequent treaty JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 M) ,, i w f