Should Colorado begin a water ration?

Every first year college student here knows about the Colorado River Compact made in 1922, the fact is that the compact is outdated and foolish in instances. Because the Colorado river is at an all time low, and population continues to surge the southwest may be doomed to revert to it's natural state, No Vegas, No lower basin water for California, Arizona can forget it, Utah would dry up, and Colorado would still be out of water. (If current trends continue) The current model circa 1922 supposes there is an infinite supply for everyone ... just like Oklahoma's oil fields were endless. So, should Colorado begin limiting the water supply that supports the southwest and break the terms of the treatise, and if we do how will it effect the aforementioned states? I say heck yeah, start rationing now, why wait for a tragedy of the commons?

See:


www.nytimes.com...

www.sciencemag.org...

www.usbr.gov...

reply to post by thekaliyuga


Thanks for trying to get people thinking on this. Sure seems that a ' battle of the Titans ' is brewing in the West.
Here, in S.Arizona - the golfcourses are still watered, though a few try to use recycled effluent. Enough to make you wonder...

The story ( in your link ) about the huge pipes being laid ever lower so as to still siphon water, was news to me.Wow !

When I lived on the San Miguel river in SW Colorado, two guys from the Interior came by with a warrant ( of sorts ) and inspected my well. That made me nervous at the time as I thought they might put a padlock on it, or something. The Cali water shortages were then in the news abit...

I think Western Coloradoans will be the ' first to go ', and then ? Dominoes.

We waste way too much water, we always have. Planting grass in our yards that is not drought tolerant requires constant watering. Then they want you to mow your grass if it is over four inches in some places and make regulations against weeds. Plush lawns require a lot of water because of the density of the grasses in them. Shorter grass needs to be fuller, more exposure to evaporate the water.

Same answer as in the other (water running out) thread. Instead of spending trillions on the military/ industrial complex spend a few millions on desalination plants US has the Pacific on one side and the Atlantic on the other. How much water do you actually need?

Here is another link with the current levels of Lake Mead and at what levels restrictions are imposed.
Lake Mead Water Levels

from the link...

Update (2013) New York Times: Colorado River Drought Forces a Painful Reckoning for States — More detail, more concern, as Colorado river flow declines further. "The sinuous Colorado River and its slew of man-made reservoirs from the Rockies to southern Arizona are being sapped by 14 years of drought nearly unrivaled in 1,250 years." "...many experts believe the current drought is only the harbinger of a new, drier era in which the Colorado’s flow will be substantially and permanently diminished." The meaning of the updated chart's ration regime and pump limit labels is provided in the linked article.

Here in Colorado there are some places that don't even charge you a water bill. I live in such a place. Sure it's just a condo so I don't have a yard to water or anything like that, but I bet there are people out there who are taking advantage of this. I could literally let my water run for hours and not care. I make sure I only use what I need, but I know how many wasteful people are out there.

reply to post by rickymouse


Here's a related question... IF the lower Columbia river in Oregon were made of oil - how long would it take to build a pipeline to LA ?

Can't help but wonder.