- Researchers call for more studies to see how climate change may affect the Colorado River in coming decades.
- Federal agencies attempt to clear up confusion over which waterways fall under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.
Concerned about the future of the Colorado River, 23 researchers from universities in the West are calling for more studies to see how climate change may affect flows in coming decades. The Associated Press and other sources report that the scholars sent a letter on Tuesday to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell urging that the government work with the National Academy of Sciences to assess the accuracy of current projections for the river. Some estimates say the river, which is the lifeblood for 36 to 40 million users in the United States and Mexico, will see a reduction of 9 to 10 percent in flows by 2060. But the scholars say that the federal government is ignoring other, gloomier estimates that say climate change could shrink the river by up to 45 percent by 2050.
A federal rule opposed by many Western states has been put on hold nationwide. On Monday, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay of the Environmental Protection Agency’s and Army Corps of Engineer’s “Waters of the U.S.” rule. In May, the agencies finalized the rule, saying it would clear up confusion over which waterways fell under the Clean Water Act. However, critics said it went too far, for instance by including manmade and natural ditches considered tributaries, even if they are intermittent or ephemeral. In August a coalition of 13 Rocky Mountain states including Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico’s Environment Department won a preliminary injunction against the rule in those states. The recent ruling by a federal appeals court in Ohio delays implementation of the rule nationwide while litigation.
