We Are Rivers

In mid-December, stakeholders from across the Colorado River basin gathered in Las Vegas for the annual Colorado River Water Users Association (CRUWA) conference to discuss happenings within the Colorado River basin. At this year's conference, the focus was on the Drought Contingency Plans (one for the Upper Basin and one for the Lower Basin) which help to deal with the very real possibility of shortages in the water supply of the Colorado River. At CRUWA, both the Upper and Lower Basin States agreed to move forward toward the completion of a Drought Contingency Plan (DCP).

The driving force behind the Upper Basin DCP is the need to reduce the increasing risk of a compact driven curtailment or cut to water users in the Upper Basin States. This scenario is also referred to as a “Compact Call”. A Compact Call would occur if the Upper Basin States are unable to deliver the water they are required to deliver under the rules of the 1922 Colorado River Compact to the Lower Basin States. Overuse of water, aridification of the West due to climate change, and growing populations throughout the basin are putting extreme pressure on the Colorado River.

Join us for Part 1 of our two part series to learn more about what curtailment or a “Compact Call” on the Colorado River means for people and the environment, how it could happen, and why the DCP is so important. Listen to Jim Lochhead, CEO of Denver Water and Andy Mueller, General Manager of the Colorado River Conservation District discuss what it means for Colorado.

Please note that throughout this episode all referenced reservoir water levels are specific to the time this episode was recorded during the summer of 2018. For updated reservoir levels, you can directly visit a reservoir’s website.

Photo Credit: Upper Colorado River, Joshua Duplechian - Trout Unlimited

In Episode 2 of Ripple Effects we visit the town of Durango, CO, where like many other communities in Colorado understand the importance of a healthy, flowing river for their community. Tune in today to learn more about the connection Durango has with their local river, the Animas.

Ripple Effects is a sub-series of American Rivers’ podcast We Are Rivers, focusing on the connections local communities have with their rivers.

Photo Credit: Animas River, Sinjin Eberle

Ripple Effects is a sub-series of American Rivers’ podcast We Are Rivers, focusing on the connections local communities have with their rivers.

In Episode 1 of Ripple Effects we visit the town of Montrose, CO, where like many other communities in Colorado understand the importance of a healthy, flowing river for their community. Tune in today to learn more about the connection the City of Montrose has with the Uncompahgre River and the collaborative nature of the river recreation and restoration process the community has engaged in.

We invite you to join us in our new We Are Rivers mini series, Ripple Effects, as we hear more about Colorado river towns like Montrose, that have reconnected with their local river experienced the ripple effects that only a local river can provide.

Photo Credit: Uncompahgre River, Scott Murphy and the City of Montrose

Over 110 wildfires have burned more than 1.8 million acres this year alone, mostly in the west, and despite the natural reaction to condemn wildfires, many forest types actually need wildfire to regenerate growth and support a healthy density of trees. The problem with today’s massive, newsworthy wildfires is that they are usually unhealthy fires, burning too hot and too fast, destroying everything in their path.

From the last 100 years of human enforced fire suppression, the delicate balance of forest regeneration has been disrupted, resulting in catastrophic wildfires that have adverse effects on forests, rural/urban communities, and river health. The health of our rivers and watersheds start with forest heath. Uncharacteristically intense wildfires can change the course a river takes, erode its banks, disrupt biological processes, and fill reservoirs with excess nutrients and sediment.

By 2050, Colorado’s fire season is expected to increase by several weeks as the climate further warms, with a potentially dramatic increase in total area burned. With post fire damages ranging from destroyed communities and business closures to loss of natural resources and poor water quality, studies have found that the costs associated with preemptively making forests healthy, and thus less susceptible to fire, are far less costly than post-fire damages. For all these reasons and more, it’s important that all western states develop a strategic plan, like Colorado’s Water Plan, to directly address forest health. Western states must cooperate and align their forest health objectives, as wildfires do not pay attention to geopolitical boundaries.

Join us for this episode of “We Are Rivers” to explore how fire suppression has triggered today’s newsworthy mega-fires and how intricately connected wildfires are with the health of the rivers we love.

Photo Credit: Dom Paulo (Flicker CC), 416 fire outside of Durango, CO

Water in the west is inherently complicated. A complex web of laws, compacts, and a little thing called “prior appropriation” dictates how and when people and entities are allowed to use water in the west, such as cities and towns, farms and ranches, and industry. If the words “water rights” leaves you scratching your head, and you call a western state your home, you are impacted by them. There’s a fairly high chance that you use water connected to a water right, (unless you have your own well or diversion). Municipalities, agriculture, industry, and even our rivers and streams all depend on the legal structure managing our water.

Join us in this month’s episode of We Are Rivers as we navigate through the complicated nature of water law in the West, including prior appropriation, instream flow rights, and the history of water law in the west.

Photo Credit: Josh Duplechian

In this episode of We Are Rivers, we explore the ideas and efforts behind expanded demand management and increased conservation across the Upper Basin with Scott Yates of Trout Unlimited and Taylor Hawes of The Nature Conservancy, both of whom are deeply integrated into the nuance and detail of developing a system that works for everyone who relies on the Colorado River, as well as the long-term, sustainable health of the Colorado River itself.

Photo Credit: Russ Schnitzer

Arizona is a renowned leader in water management, thanks to more than a century of careful planning and effective leadership. But, with drought and declining water levels in the state’s key water supplies, Arizona must do more. Tune in to “Episode 10: Securing Arizona’s Water Supply is a Team Effort,” to hear how Arizona and other Lower Basin states are working together to reduce demand of the Colorado River through the Drought Contingency Plan.

Photo Credit: Sinjin Eberle

In this week’s episode of We Are Rivers, we describe the impact we will make through the 5,000 Miles of Wild® campaign – including the protection of an additional 5,000 river miles and collecting 5,000 of your river stories. Stories cultivate and spread passion: your stories will illustrate the personal and cultural values of rivers to policy makers, and you can help the campaign by posting your own story at www.5000miles.org!

Amidst the largest dam building era in the United States, Congress realized urgency around preserving certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations. In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act into law, giving rivers a special designation to protect the remarkable values that free-flowing rivers have across the country. The Act is notable for safeguarding the special character of these rivers, while recognizing the potential for their appropriate use and development. It encourages river management crossing political boundaries and promoting public participation to develop goals for river protection.

In this episode of We Are Rivers, we dive into the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and how it protects rivers, ensures community engagement, and preserves free flowing rivers for present and future generations. Tune in to learn more.

As the end of 2017 inches closer, staff at American Rivers reflect on how the past year has been for rivers. The Trump Administration was not kind to rivers or clean water. However, despite the many challenges working against us, staff at American Rivers’, along with our members, supporters, and listener’s just like you have worked diligently over the last 12 months to make our voices heard and ensure rivers across the country are protected.

Despite the many challenges rivers and clean water faced in 2017, progress for rivers and clean water prevailed. American Rivers, along with partners and supporters from across the country removed 11 dams, restored over 400 miles of rivers, and removed 2.58 million pounds of trash through our river cleanup program. Communities in North Carolina, Colorado, and California benefited from projects to restore and protect rivers and clean water.

As we make our way into 2018, we have the opportunity to do more for rivers and clean water. Listen in to American Rivers' end of year podcast to learn more about what we accomplished in 2017 and what we have to look forward to in 2018.

Photo Credit: Russ Schnitzer