Confluence: The Colorado River at the Compact’s Centennial

On Tuesday, December 6 the Arizona Institute for Resilient Environments and Societies (AIRES) hosted a symposium in celebration of the new UA Press publication Cornerstone at the Confluence: Navigating the Colorado River Compact’s Next Century. The symposium, attended by roughly 80 people via zoom and in person, featured Jason Robison of the University of Wyoming Law School, the editor of the volume – and a number of the book’s authors. The event acknowledged the 100^th anniversary of the Compact, originally signed in November of 1922, and also the wide array of University of Arizona scholars who have contributed to important Colorado River research, including tree ring studies, economic solutions, governance options, and contributions to tribal water management efforts.

The panels were grounded in the language of the Compact itself, and addressed issues such as whether the current apportionment scheme can survive in light of climate change impacts on the flows of the river; how ecosystems have changed over the last century in the context of the Compact and what the future may look like; tribal water rights (and the lack thereof) in an era of climate change; and opportunities to consider alternative governance approaches in the context of the upcoming changes to Colorado River management. The morning keynote was Tom Buschatske, Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, who delivered very sobering news about trends in Colorado River flows, including the potential for losing the capacity to generate power at both Hoover and Glen Canyon dams in the next several years. There is a non-zero probability of actually reaching “dead pool” which means no flows in the river at all below the dams, if dramatic reductions in water deliveries are not made soon. At the end of the conference, Daryl Vigil presented on behalf of the Ten Tribes Partnership a vision for a more inclusive and equitable management scheme for the coming decades. A link to the full recording of the event is available here.