Water officials to take 8-day rafting trip

Friday, April 9, 2004 | 9:48 a.m.

Federal and local water-agency officials from across the country will go on a trip down the Colorado River next week, but the whitewater could be considerably less impressive than it usually is in the spring.

On sites on the upper Colorado, the river flow is a third of what it should be, the result of light snows this spring and five years of persistent drought, according to the federal U.S. Geological Survey.

Assistant Secretary of Interior Bennett Raley, Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager Pat Mulroy, Bureau of Reclamation Regional Director Robert Johnson, and officials from Southern California, Arizona and environmental groups are scheduled to go on the eight-day rafting trip.

Also included in the guest list are reporters from the New York Times, the Arizona Republic, the Associated Press and three California newspapers.

The Bureau of Reclamation, by law the 'rivermaster' governing use of the resource, is an agency of the Interior Department.

The point of the trip is not just to ogle the river's stunning natural scenery, but has an educational and organizational focus, federal officials said.

The officials hope the trip will underscore the seriousness of the drought and its impact on the water users along the river. A second topic, according to the Bureau of Reclamation's agenda, is the status of endangered species on the river. The status of laws affecting the river will also be discussed.

Raley, in a written statement, said last year's codification of the delivery amounts to California, Nevada and Arizona was a major milestone that resolved a 75-year-old simmering dispute.

But if the drought continues, all seven states along the river, from Wyoming to California, may have to decide how to cut their water use.

"If the five-year drought in the Colorado River basin continues, the states and the Department of Interior will have to address a number of very difficult issues, including the potential need for the development of 'shortage' criteria," Raley said. "This trip provides an opportunity for the detailed briefing on a number of issues related to the management of the Colorado River, including issues that are best understood by being 'on site.' "