7 thirsty states agree to share Colorado River

DENVER — Amid eight years of drought, the seven states of the Colorado River Basin have agreed to new rules to share and conserve scarce water in the region without resorting to lawsuits.

The states — California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming — share the 1,450-mile river's water under a 1922 compact.

The new rules, signed Thursday by Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, include guidelines for which of the states will take water reductions and for how long in the event of a shortage. The states also pledged to negotiate water differences before going to court.

"The bad news is that the historic drought continues ... with no sign of ending," Kempthorne said. "The good news is that we have achieved remarkable victories in the basin that chart a course for the future through drought and surplus alike."

Emergency "triggers" in the 18-year plan could trip as soon as 2010 if the worst dry spell in a century doesn't subside, the agency that manages the river has warned.

"Future hydrological inflows are very uncertain," said Terry Fulp, of the Bureau of Reclamation. "There could be a chance [of restrictions] if the drought continues."

The agreement, which takes effect immediately and runs through 2026, enacts rules to improve efficiency by allowing the river's two huge reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, to rise and fall in tandem.

The drought has shrunk both bodies to less than half of capacity. If Lake Mead's level drops 36 more feet and Lake Powell falls an additional 22 feet, rationing and other measures would kick in.

The pact encourages inventive efforts to conserve by giving states credits to draw 95 percent of the water they save now, once conditions improve.

Kempthorne noted one such innovation: the Drop 2 Reservoir to be built in California at Nevada's expense. The dam would store water for California's agricultural use now and credit Nevada for its needs in the next two decades.

"If the seven states on the Colorado River can get together and work out a deal," he said, "then surely [anyone] can," he said.

Kempthorne noted a similar situation last month in the Southeast, where "a record drought" put Alabama, Florida and Georgia on the verge of a legal war over water. He met separately with the governors, who went to Washington to work out an agreement.

The new Colorado River Basin agreement was signed in Las Vegas at the annual meeting of the Colorado River Water Users Association.

The group looks after a resource that serves the nation's biggest farm producer and most populous state, California, and several of the nation's fastest-growing states.