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<br /> <br />Executive Summary <br /> <br />"Water is the true wealth in a dry land." <br />- Wallace Stegner <br /> <br />In directing the Western Water Policy Review <br />Advisory Commission (Commission) to make <br />recommendations about the proper role of the <br />federal government in western water management <br />for the next 20 years, the Congress gave our <br />Commission a daunting task. For the past year and <br />a half, we have labored to understand the details of <br />numerous and often conflicting federal programs <br />while striving not to lose sight of the "big picture." <br /> <br />Though many previous studies have documented the <br />chronic problems of water in the West, the <br />convergence of a number of trends makes this study <br />unique and timely. Early in our tenure, we learned <br />that western water planners for the 21st century <br />must address staggering growth projections. For the <br />past 15 years, the West has been experiencing the <br />most dramatic demographic changes for any region <br />or period in the country's history. Should present <br />trends continue, by 2020 population in the West <br />may increase by more than 30 percent. The West is <br />rapidly becoming a series of urban archipelagos <br />(e.g., Denver, Salt Lake City, Boise, Missoula, <br />Portland, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Dallas, Houston, <br />and Seattle) arrayed across a mostly arid landscape. <br /> <br />At the same time, reports to the Commission <br />identified unhealthy trends in aquatic ecosystems <br />and water quality, pressing water supply problems, <br />unfilled American Indian water claims, an <br /> <br />agricultural economy suffering the stress of <br />transition, rapid conversion of open space to urban <br />development, and rising drought and flood damage <br />exacerbated by the potential for global warming. <br />Additional population growth will only cause these <br />crises to worsen unless bold action is taken. <br />Population predictions underscore the urgency for <br />wise long-range water policy planning, effective and <br />efficient water management institutions, and <br />consistent enforcement of existing laws. <br /> <br />Part of the impetus for our Commission's formation <br />was the Congress's fmding that current federal water <br />policy suffers from unclear and conflicting goals <br />implemented by a maze of agencies and programs. <br />This finding was reinforced and documented by the <br />Commission's investigation. Lack of policy clarity <br />and coordination resulting in gridlock was a <br />consistent theme of public testimony and scholarly <br />research. We have concluded that these problems <br />cannot be resolved piecemeal but, rather, must be <br />addressed by fundamental changes in institutional <br />structure and government process. Moreover, our <br />work led us to an even more basic conclusion: that <br />the geographic, hydrologic, ecologic, social, and <br />economic diversity of the West will require <br />regionally and locally tailored solutions to <br />effectively meet the challenges of the 21st century <br />of water management. <br /> <br />The lives of westerners and the places we live are <br />changing so rapidly that irreversible developments <br />are often not preceded by thoughtful policy <br />