WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper released the following statement after six states in the Colorado River Basin announced a framework for modeling future management of the river as declining flows continue to threaten water levels at key Colorado River reservoirs:
“All of us in the Colorado River Basin are experiencing long term drought and aridification. The framework offered today by Colorado and five other states is a productive step forward. Ultimately, any solution needs to be collaborative and inclusive to cope with less water from the river we all rely on.”
In response to the Bureau of Reclamation’s request for a state-led framework as it evaluates potential revisions to operations at Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam, the states of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming submitted a six-state proposal called the Consensus-Based Modeling Alternative. The alternative includes incorporation of actions that could help manage the severe drought on the Colorado River, and was created to inform Reclamation’s ongoing process to update reservoir operating guidelines.
###