Comments (21) | Add a comment
Mexico, U.S. talk water deal
-
JOHN GURZINSKI/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Johnny Wade, left, and Lupe Gonzales head for the water at Lake Mead on Tuesday. The white "bathtub ring" in the background shows the decline in the water level at the drought-stricken reservoir, which has dropped roughly 115 feet in the past decade. » Buy this photo
Tools
More Photos
-
The day after the April 4 earthquake a man near Mexicali, Mexico, walks on mud caused by underground water that leaked to the surface during the 7.2 magnitude temblor. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
The powerful earthquake that rattled Mexicali, Mexico, on Easter Sunday also has stirred serious international talks over the future of the Colorado River, the Las Vegas Valley's primary water source.
Federal officials from the United States and Mexico met at the Southern Nevada Water Authority's office in downtown Las Vegas on Friday to discuss a shortage and water-sharing agreement between the two nations.
The talks have been ongoing since early 2008, but the 7.2 magnitude quake on April 4 seemed to create more urgency on the Mexican side because widespread infrastructure damage might prevent that nation from using its full Colorado River allocation.
Lorri Gray-Lee has been taking part in the discussions as director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Lower Colorado River region.
She said Mexico wants to be able to store a part of its annual river allocation in Lake Mead for future use once the earthquake damage has been repaired.
She hopes talks on that issue will lead to a broader agreement spelling out Mexico's share of any shortage that might be declared on the river and providing a framework for cross-border water exchanges.
Gray-Lee remains optimistic that the larger deal could be struck late this year or early next year. "There's just too much benefit to both sides for us not to get this done," she said.
Southern Nevada Water Authority chief Pat Mulroy is not as much of an optimist, but she said the talks do appear to have taken on a different tone since the earthquake.
"It created a situation in Mexico where they can't deliver water to their farms. The infrastructure is destroyed," she said. "I think they are a lot more serious to come to a conclusion."
Mulroy said Nevada one day could partner on the construction of an ocean desalting plant on the Mexican coast in exchange for a portion of the country's Colorado River water.
First, though, the United States and Mexico must agree on a legal framework that "doesn't exist right now" for such exchanges, she said.
Under a 1944 treaty, Mexico receives 1.5 million acre-feet of water a year from the Colorado River. That is five times more than Nevada's share but about one-third of what California gets and about half of what Arizona receives.
One acre-foot of water is enough to supply two average Las Vegas Valley homes for a year.
Depending on how much water is involved, Mulroy said, both Nevada and Lake Mead could benefit if Mexico is allowed to store part of its river allocation in the reservoir.
Every 100,000 acre-feet of water adds about one foot to Lake Mead, and even a single foot could prove crucial as the surface of the lake shrinks ever closer to the trigger point for a shortage declaration.
On Tuesday, the reservoir sat at 1,088 feet above sea level. If it drops another 13 feet, Nevada and Arizona will be forced to reduce their combined use by 400,000 acre-feet a year.
Nevada's share of those shortages would start at 13,000 acre-feet and increase to 17,000 acre-feet and then 20,000 acre-feet as Lake Mead continues to drop.
"How we stay above 1,075 is irrelevant as long as we stay above 1,075," Mulroy said.
The April 4 earthquake buckled canals and destroyed irrigation pipelines in the vast agricultural area south of Mexicali, which is fed by water diverted from the Colorado River at the Morelos Dam west of Yuma, Ariz.
Roughly one-third of the Mexicali Valley suffered damage to its water infrastructure, said Jennifer McCloskey, area manager for the Bureau of Reclamation in Yuma. The bureau has seen "some decline but not a sharp decline" in water orders from Mexico, she said.
The recovery effort in northern Mexico has been hampered by road damage and several aftershocks "in the fives and sixes," she said. Some people have taken to living in tents because they lost their homes, or they are afraid to stay in them.
"It's a really, really tough situation," McCloskey said.
Friday's discussions in Las Vegas included Gray-Lee, Reclamation Commissioner Michael Connor, representatives from the U.S. State Department and their Mexican equivalents.
Also on hand were top officials from the International Boundary and Water Commission, a bilateral panel that administers the boundary and water treaties between the two nations.
Mulroy did not directly participate in Friday's meeting.
The next round of talks is slated for September, Gray-Lee said.
Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.
Comments
Terms & Conditions
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The Review-Journal does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please use the Report Abuse button.
Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 24 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Mexico gets 5 times more water than Nevada. California, 15 times more than Nevada. All this from a source of water stored mostly in Nevada. Hello. Harry are you getting any of this.
They can have our water if they keep their citizens. Deal!
@BigJulie LOL Good Call
@ElCholo "their country"- you mean the one that people are doing everything possible to get into or the one whose resources it actually is?
P.S. You can use the spacebar too, we can share that
Make the illegals bring 10 gallons each with them. That way we get it all back in 6 months or so.
presidente calderon dont trust these white devils!just look at their country its on the verge of bankruptcy.they have no management skills what so ever.take your water and store it in mexico.
Mexico is already double dipping the Colorado River. How many illegals are in the seven states that draw from the river? If you ask me, because of these criminal invaders drinking and using the river water while occupying the basin states, they already have used their 1.5 million acre feet. Not one drop should get past Yuma until Mexico gets its act together. They want to throw rocks at our Border Patrol agents? Fine, all Colorado River water stays in the U.S.
As an avid boater, I'm all for storing Mexico's share if it means the lake will rise. If it doesn't rise, can't see how we would pay them back? Would have to go water bankrupt on that.
Lawyer, there are flowing waterways all over the world with international cooperation which is needed for their livelyhood. Canada would have us over the barrel if they thought there is no right to water so to speak.
Someone ought to check out how they do it in Israel, a country with very little fresh water. They are the world leaders in desalination technology. http://www.water-technology.net/projects/israel/
Are these numbers really accurate;
Mexico 1.5 mil acre feet/year
Calif 4.5 mil acre feet/year
Arizona 3. mil acre feet/year
Nevada .3 mil acre feet/year
Nevada gets 3%? Taking into consideration the huge growth spurt we went through, no wonder there is a shortage.