PUB00024

• Year: 1998
• Title: Water in the West: Challenge for the Next Century
• CWCB Section: Interstate & Federal
• Description: Report of the Western Water Policy Review Advisory Commission
• Publications - Doc Type: Tech Report

Contents

Page

Foreword ........................................................................... 1
Commission Membership ............................................................. iii
Staff to the Commission .......................................,...................... iv
Federal Agency Representatives and State Liaisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Reports to the Commission ........................................................... vii
Presentations ...................................................................... viii
Events and Public Meetings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Executive Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Frequently Used Acronyms and Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxxiii

Chapter I-Introduction ............................................................. I-I
Water and the Changing West. .. . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . ... .. ... . I-I
The Charge to the Commission.. . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . ... . . . . . . . . . .. .. . .. . . . . . . .. . . ... . 1-2
Implementing the Commission's Charge ............................................. 1-4
The Commission's Investigations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Public Testimony ......................................................... 1-6
Research on the West Today ................................................ 1-6
River Basin Studies ....................................................... 1-7
Agency Reports ....................................................... 1-7
Organization of the Report ........................................................ 1-8

Chapter 2- The West Today and Tomorrow ............................................. 2-1
Water Defines the West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Topography and Climate ...................................................... 2-1
Streamflows and the River Environment ............... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Western Water: A Working Resource .................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Harnessing Water for Human Uses .............................................. 2-5
Major Water Uses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Benefits of Federal Water Storage and Delivery Systems................................ 2-9
Environmental Consequences of Water Development. . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
The West in Transition. . . . . . . . .... ... ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . .. . 2-14
Population Growth and Change ................................................ 2-14
Economic Growth and Change. . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . 2-18
Changing Patterns of Agricultural and Urban Water Uses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Agricultural ............................................................ 2-24

Urban ................................................................. 2-25
Native American Water Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Changing Land Uses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Water Quality in the West ................,.............. _ . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-30
Agricultural Return Flow as a Point Source ......,................................2-31
The Effects ofIrrigated Agriculture Drainage ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-31
Alternatives to Reduce or A void Irrigation Return Flow Pollution " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-32
The Changing Political, Fiscal, and Legal Landscape .............. _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33

xxxv