Western states critical of California’s Colorado River consumption

Walter Berry

Friday, May 21, 1999 | 5:12 a.m.

PHOENIX - Federal officials are trying to settle another dispute over Colorado River water - specifically, California's use and share of it.

Arizona and the six other Western states that use the river's water want new rules to determine what should happen when there's a shortage or surplus in any given year.

Currently, California is legally entitled to surplus water when it exists. But the other states are complaining that California is already using nearly 1 million acre-feet of water a year more than its basic allotment of 4.4 million acre-feet.

An acre-foot translates into about 326,000 gallons. That's enough to serve a family of four for one year.

Officials with the U.S. Interior Department were in Tucson, Ariz., on Thursday and Friday for a water conference that was attended by representatives of the other states that use Colorado River water.

They met for informal discussions on how to best solve the problem, although a final resolution is at least months away.

"We'd like to see a California solution, but we don't think it's going to be easy," said Jack Lavelle, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Water Resources. "There's an awful lot of water customers in California" where farmers control all but 550,000 acre-feet of the state's allotment.

"Everyone is aware that there might be a time when there's a shortage of water one year. No one wants to see a situation where some state can't get any water," Lavelle added.

California water officials declined comment on the situation Friday.

David Hayes, acting chief deputy for Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, said California must develop a plan to reduce its overreliance on Colorado River water or live with whatever criteria federal officials eventually draw up.

Under Colorado River allotment in a normal year, California, Arizona and Nevada share 7.5 million acre-feet of lower basin water with Nevada getting 300,000 and Arizona 2.8 million with 1.5 million acre-feet diverted to Phoenix and Tucson through the Central Arizona Project.

The upper basin apportionment is also 7.5 million acre-feet with Colorado receiving 3.8 million, Utah 1.7 million, Wyoming 1 million and New Mexico 838,000 in a normal year.

However, California's average demand over the last decade is 4.9 million to 5.2 million acre-feet, and the state has traditionally taken surplus water from Arizona and Nevada.

Arizona now is pushing for a federal policy that specifically addresses what happens when there's a shortage of river water in any given year.

Under the current guidelines, California is guaranteed its full share before Arizona can divert any water into its 336-mile CAP network.

The other states also want California to revert back to its 4.4 million acre-feet annual allotment.

"Everyone is willing to be a little flexible in helping California solve its problems," Lavelle said. "California has been the beneficiary of the surplus in the river for a long time. We want to see the trend line move in the right direction.

"Babbitt's people have made it pretty clear that California is going to have to get there one way or the other. They have to present a credible plan that everyone feels comfortable that it will be adhered to."

Pat Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, had much harsher words.

"Given the level of passion among the states, we're not going to go along with a sham program that is simply there to take water from the upper basin," she told The Arizona Republic. "Those states up there have no desire to end up losing what they perceive as their birthright to the state of California because it can't get its act together."