Ecosystems suffer as water cutbacks loom in the Colorado River watershed


As reservoir storage in Lake Mead and Lake Powell continue to plummet toward levels of concern, ecosystems are last in line for leftover water.

Projected water levels are expected to force water shortages in Arizona, Nevada and Mexico as early as 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. If water levels in Lake Mead, a reservoir that supplies water to more than 25 million people, reach a critical threshold, contingency plans will require upstream cutbacks. 

The implementation of cutbacks is contentious as different states and counties compete for water shares while those without a voice are hanging out to dry. 

Drought is not uncommon for ecosystems in Utah and many plant and wildlife species are adapted to tolerate and withstand annual water deficits.  However, as reported in the Nature article titled “Global Patterns of Drought Recovery,” climate change and increasing demand for water are not giving ecosystems the crucial recovery time they need to maintain health.

The Great Salt Lake and Bear River Watershed are of utmost concern to conservationists due to the importance of these locales for bird migration. Up to 5 million birds use the Great Salt Lake and its surroundings as a crucial pit stop before their long migration.  Feeding on local invertebrates and plants, these birds rely upon the health of the whole ecosystem to reach their migration destinations and provide for their young.

Utah continues deliberating major development along the Bear River, potentially going ahead with a $1.5 billion project that would construct more dams and reservoirs on the Bear, a river that currently provides 60 percent of the inflows to the Great Salt Lake. 

Aside from development, Utah also has some legislative hurdles facing ecosystems vying for more water.  Lindsay Capito, a graduate student in the Department of Watershed Sciences at USU, referenced the “use it or lose it” clause, a remnant from a 139-year-old water law, as an outdated policy that incentivizes water waste and leaves less for ecosystems and downstream communities.

This “use it or lose it” clause maintains that if a water right holder does not withdraw the full share each year, then the remaining allocation is forfeited for future years. Capito said the clause “incentivizes waste and makes the prospect of leaving water in the stream for environmental purposes understandably unappealing for water users.”

Deliberations and debate continue, albeit legislative progress halts with the government shutdown, as water resources are projected to dwindle. Belize Lane and David Rosenberg, faculty in the watershed sciences at USU, have recently proposed water banking as a viable solution to minimize waste from the “use it or lose it” clause.  Water banking would allow for water rights holders to maintain their unused shares for the next year, potentially diverting previously wasted water back to the rivers and lakes that need it.

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