Concerns raised over Colorado River delta

Tuesday, April 7, 1998 | 10:22 a.m.

The Environmental Defense Fund joined American Rivers Monday declaring the Colorado River delta on the U.S.-Mexico border one of North America's most endangered rivers.

Once a vast area of wetlands and salt flats covering more than 3,800 square miles, the delta has continued to shrink as western states such as Nevada and California pull more water from the river upstream, EDF scientist Dan Luecke said.

The Colorado River, which is used by seven western states, supplies the Las Vegas Valley with more than 90 percent of its local drinking water.

The federal Bureau of Reclamation has proposed rules to allow states like Nevada to store water underground in Arizona, banking drinking supplies for the future when the river drops during drought. But the EDF said that proposal poses a threat to the delta.

While storing water upriver is not unreasonable for growing states such as Nevada, the EDF believes such plans should be part of a regional effort to save the delta, Luecke said.

"The long-term restoration of the delta will depend on securing a dedicated supply of water for the wetlands there, and better coordination of periodic flood flow releases from the United States to Mexico," he said.

Although the Bureau of Reclamation's focus has been on U.S. issues, the agency recognizes wildlife species need a balanced approach, spokeswoman Colleen Dwyer said.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority has already promised it would explore ways to save the Colorado River delta along with larger users such as California and Arizona.

Neither the EDF nor American Rivers, an environmental group that works to protect rivers, plan to sue the federal government or the states over the Colorado River delta.

However, Defenders of Wildlife and the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity have served notice of a lawsuit.

The pending suit focuses on whether the United States is willing to address endangered and threatened species other than those in North America, said David Hogan, director of the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson.

"We see that as one of the major forms of modern imperialism," Hogan said.