The Colorado River
Whose water is it anyway?


On December 18, 1997, U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt announced first-ever rules to permit interstate transfers of Colorado River water from agricultural users to urban users. He also strongly cautioned that much still needs to be done before California is in a position to live within its allocation of Colorado River water. "I believe the time has come for me as River Master to play a more active role," Babbitt said.

This action by Secretary Babbitt followed a warning he issued to California in 1996 that it can no longer rely on receiving more than its yearly entitlement because of growing demand in Arizona and Nevada.

The Colorado River supplies water to seven states (Arizona, Colorado, California, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Nevada) in addition to Mexico. Since the early 1900's, water distribution rights have been in contention. And starting in 1922, the distribution and management of Colorado River water has been governed by a complex body of laws, court decrees, compacts and an international treaty.

As the Southwest was being developed, the big question was, "Will there be enough water?" Today people ask, "How good will the water be?"

At the headwaters of the Colorado, the salinity is 50 parts per million(ppm). Where the river crossed the border into Mexico in the early 1900's, it was about 400 ppm, but rose to 1200 ppm in the 1960's. Original agreements with Mexico dealt with the quantity of water in the Colorado that the US agreed to deliver. But later with the decrease in quality of water, Mexico pursued renegotiations that would ensure a maximum level of salinity in water reaching Mexico from Arizona.

In 1905, an irrigation canal diverting Colorado River water to California farmland broke and flooded an ancient basin for two years. The basin now contains a 35 mile long, 15 mile wide lake, named the Salton Sea. As California's largest in-land body of water, it was a recreational mecca, attracting boaters, water skiers, birders, sports fishermen, and vacationers. Over the years, the Salton Sea has become 25 percent saltier than the Pacific Ocean and polluted. Recently fish and birds have been dying in droves. The late Representative Sonny Bono made the rehabilitation of the Salton Sea a priority. On December 19, 1997 Secretary Babbitt called it a national treasure and he promised to work toward a solution to its problems. Some Salton Sea advocates are calling for an infusion of fresh water from the Colorado.

Aerial views of the Salton Sea

Choose a stakeholder position for which you will be an advocate. In your new group, discuss the following:
On September 28, 1999 the Congressional Salton Sea Task Force was briefed about some restoration options for the Salton Sea. The most feasible is to drain some of the Sea's waters and replace them with water from the Colorado. This meets the objectives of the Salton Sea advocates who want to preserve the Sea, for recreation and wildlife, and reduce the salinity levels to 40 ppt. Other interest groups disagree, stating that the Salton Sea is a lost cause.

March 12, 2000
Bruce Babbitt the Rivermaster declared today that after reviewing options for restoring the Salton Sea, he recommends as a first step diverting one million acre-feet of the Colorado River water to the Salton Sea, after drain the Sea and reclaiming the salts and minerals by using evaporation towers.

Which stakeholder group do you recommend receive less water?

How should priorities be set on the use of the Colorado's water, given the needs of the cities, agriculture, the environment, recreation, business, and Mexico?

Some Relevant Online Colorado River Resources

UD ITUE Comments, suggestions, or requests to ud-itue@udel.edu.
"http://www.udel.edu/inst/problems/colorado/"
Last updated May 11, 2001.
Copyright Barbara Duch, Univ. of Delaware and Math & Science Education Resource Center, 1998.