49°F
weather icon Drizzle

Colorado River deemed threatened

The lower Colorado is the most-threatened river in America, a conservation advocacy group said in its annual report published this month.

The nonprofit American Rivers had placed the entire Colorado River and upper river atop its list of “most-endangered rivers” in previous years. But this is the first time the lower Colorado, which supplies Las Vegas with 90 percent of its water via Lake Mead, has been designated as in danger.

“The main criteria we use is whether there’s a key decision point in the year,” said Amy Kober, a spokeswoman for the group. In the case of the lower Colorado, much of the impact could come from President Donald Trump’s proposed budget, which would cut funds to the Department of Agriculture’s regional conservation partnership program and the Department of the Interior’s Water- Smart program, she said.

Trump also has issued an executive order that would eliminate a 2015 water rule issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which asserted federal power over small waterways like wetlands and streams for the purposes of controlling pollution under the Clean Water Act. The order had no immediate impact but could eventually lead to the rule’s repeal.

A ‘political arrow’

The lower Colorado, which provides drinking water for 30 million Americans, including residents of Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas and Phoenix, and irrigates fields that grow 90 percent of the nation’s winter vegetables, is particularly vulnerable to such actions, the group said. The water demands of Arizona, Nevada and California are outstripping supply, climate change’s effects are becoming acute, and the river is at a breaking point, it said.

But Patricia Mulroy, who has worked within the international water community for 25 years, expressed frustration that the river is being used as a “political arrow” to score public relations points.

“There was obviously a lot of emotion in this,” Mulroy, former general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said of the river’s appearance atop the list. “It has now created an atmosphere where it will be harder, not easier, to forge the agreements that need to be forged this year on the river.”

Mulroy was referring to a 2012 agreement on the Colorado River between the U.S. and Mexico set to expire at year’s end and continuing negotiations on a drought contingency plan among Nevada, California and Arizona to keep Lake Mead from shrinking enough to trigger the first federal shortage declaration. That would force Nevada, which receives most of its water from the Colorado, and especially Arizona to slash use of river water.

‘Water cuts across party lines’

“Those agreements have to be entered into,” Mulroy said.

Despite the political rhetoric, Bronson Mack, a Southern Nevada Water Authority spokesman, said the agency expects the agreements will get done.

“Water cuts across party lines,” Mack said.

Even if water levels do reach shortage territory, Mack said, Nevada residents won’t go without water.

“Should Lake Mead get to that severe of an elevation, Nevada has taken steps to ensure that we would be able to access that supply,” he said.

Contact Brooke Wanser at bwanser@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Bwanser_LVRJ on Twitter.

Other at-risk waterways

American Rivers is a nonprofit organization aimed at river conservation efforts. Located in Washington, D.C., the group has compiled a list of the nation’s “most-endangered rivers” since 2003.

While the Colorado River has made the list before, this is the first year the lower Colorado has been named.

The other rivers on this year’s list, and the threats they face, are:

#2: Bear River (California) Threat: New Dam

#3: South Fork Skykomish (Washington) Threat: New hydropower project

#4: Mobile Bay rivers (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi) Threat: Poor water management

#5: Rappahannock River (Virginia) Threat: Fracking

#6: Green-Toutle River (Washington) Threat: New mine

#7: Neuse and Cape Fear rivers (North Carolina) Threat: Pollution from hog and chicken farms

#8: Middle Fork Flathead River (Montana) Threat: Oil transport by rail

#9: Buffalo National River (Arkansas) Threat: Pollution from massive hog farm

#10: Menominee River (Michigan, Wisconsin) Threat: Open pit sulfide mining

Source: AmericanRivers.org

MOST READ
THE LATEST
Council tees up multiple pet issues

Long-running issues involving pets in Boulder City are about to heat up again as three resolutions were introduced at this Tuesday’s council meeting. Resolutions have to be introduced in a meeting prior to them being discussed or voted on. These resolutions are scheduled to be discussed and acted upon in the council’s Feb. 25 meeting.

City continues dark-sky initiative

When driving around town, some may have noticed that many of the city’s street lights have a different look to them.

Airport development readies for takeoff

The city council discussed and provided direction to city staff Tuesday on a plan to develop additional hangars at the Boulder City Municipal Airport as well as development of a larger area for multiple uses including additional hangars.

Downtown Disney

This past Saturday, more than 200 people donned their best Disney outfits for the monthly Wine Walk, hosted by the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce. There were nearly two dozen downtown locations for attendees to stop for wine, including those pictured at the Boulder City Company Store, Beer Zombies and Hangar 502. Each walk has a theme, with the next being March 8 with the theme of Vegas Golden Knights.

Removed city gate causes concern

On Jan. 28, School Resource Officer Eric Prunty, who is assigned to BCHS by the Boulder City Police Department but also serves the three other public schools, contacted Garrett Junior High Principal Melanie Teemant regarding “a campus security issue.”

The bond between Boulder City and Searchlight

If you talk to the staff at Harry Reid Elementary School in Searchlight, you may hear them describe their campus as “the heart of the community” or “the jewel of the desert.”

Council gives lake-view lot to chamber

After a very short introduction by city staff and without discussion, the city council voted unanimously last week to give a 50-foot-square piece of city-owned land to the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

20-year lease extension up for vote

The gun club was not the only entity with lease extension business before the city council in their meeting last week.

Commercial zoning in Eldorado approved

The going-on-a-year-long process of adding four acres of land to Boulder City and approving it for commercial use is all over except the shouting as the city council voted unanimously and without discussion as part of the consent agenda to approve the changes to the city’s land use map as well as amending the zoning map to allow for future commercial development.

Out of this world: A look at Fisher Space Pen

In a popular episode of “Seinfeld,” appropriately entitled “The Pen,” Jerry and Elaine travel to Florida to see his parents. There, a neighbor, Jack Klompus, shows off a pen that the astronauts used in space because of its ability to still write, even when upside-down.