LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Final Environmental Impact Statement for the future of Colorado River operations has been released by the Bureau of Reclamation, according to a Friday release.
This report designates a preferred course of action for future management of Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the release said.
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The preferred alternative establishes an adaptive decision framework to be used to develop operating guidelines designed to ensure reliable operations in the Colorado River Basin while maintaining the flexibility to respond to changing conditions over a 10-year period through 2036.
The framework will be used to develop operating guidelines for operations at Lake Powell and Lake Mead that can be adjusted for shorter- and longer-term periods, the release said.
“The Department has a responsibility to ensure the Colorado River system remains reliable and resilient for the millions of Americans, communities and industries that depend on it," said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. "This framework provides the flexibility to respond to changing hydrologic conditions while preserving the opportunity for the Basin States to continue working toward durable, consensus-based solutions.”
Operational sideboards were chosen to ensure that the Department would have flexibility and environmental compliance to operate the system in a way that is responsive to actual hydrologic conditions and allows for the incorporation of Basin-wide innovative water management solutions, the release said.
The Department would issue operating guidelines, within these sideboards, at anticipated two-year periods, unless consensus-based agreements provide for a longer duration, according to the release. It also establishes a structure under which operating guidelines will be developed, reviewed and periodically updated, the release said.
“This plan strikes a balance between flexibility and predictability for the Colorado River system that is vital to the 40 million people who rely on it given unprecedented hydrologic conditions and the potential for considerable impacts on water users,” said Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Andrea Travnicek. “It also allows a new flexibility to respond to changing conditions and potential consensus.”
The final EIS addresses only domestic river operations, the release said. A separate binational process addressing water deliveries to Mexico is nearing completion and the Department is committed to continued collaboration with Mexico.
