An aerial view shows the long-depleted Colorado River (L) as it flows between California (R) and Arizona, and an irrigation ditch (R) carrying river water toward Quechan tribal land on May 26, 2023 near Winterhaven, Calif.
Mario Tama/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
hide caption
toggle caption
Mario Tama/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
The initial executive order signed by President Trump in his second term, “Unleashing American Energy,” may not immediately influence the amount of water in the Colorado River.
The order, issued on Trump’s first day in office, seeks to “unlock America’s affordable and reliable energy and natural resources” by abolishing “burdensome and ideologically driven regulations.”
However, it also stipulates that “All agencies shall promptly suspend the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.”
While certain funds were allocated to support renewable energy, a minimum of $4 billion was designated to safeguard the flow of the Colorado River, which provides drinking water for approximately 40 million individuals, underpins a vast agricultural economy in the Southwest, and generates significant hydroelectric power.
The Colorado River is shrinking
The river’s size is diminishing due to climate change, resulting in the nation’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, being at record low levels in recent years amidst a prolonged megadrought exceeding two decades. Should water levels decline further, they risk losing the capacity to produce hydroelectric power within the massive dams that confine them or even the ability to redirect water downstream.
Docks and buoys, once floating atop dozens of feet of water, sit stranded on the shores of Lake Powell on April 9, 2023. President Trump paused funding that was designed to help conserve water and boost the nation’s largest reservoirs.
Alex Hager/KUNC
hide caption
toggle caption
Alex Hager/KUNC
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 enabled President Biden to allocate $4 billion for programs concerning the Colorado River, encompassing substantial amounts to compensate farmers, cities, and Native American tribes for conserving Colorado River water instead of using it, thus allowing it to remain in the reservoirs. These compensations address the lost revenue from not using their water for agricultural or other purposes.
A significant portion of the IRA funds has already been distributed, but Bart Fisher, who serves on the board of the Palo Verde Irrigation District in California, is concerned about the potential lack of future funding.
“Without funding,” he stated, “there will be no conservation.”
Farmers in Palo Verde utilize Colorado River water to cultivate cattle feed and vegetables in the arid region along the Arizona border. Fisher emphasized their desire to actively safeguard the river, yet noted the financial consequences of using less water and raising fewer crops.
“No agricultural producer within any district would willingly forfeit income from their usual agricultural activities for nothing,” he asserted.
The river’s uncertain future
During the current funding cycle, landowners in Fisher’s irrigation district are receiving approximately $40 million in exchange for reducing their water usage. However, there is uncertainty regarding how much funding, if any, will be available in the upcoming cycle starting in August. Fisher expressed that farmers are already contemplating their budgets for the next growing season.
“At this point, it’s unsettling to contemplate that all our plans might need to shift suddenly come August the first,” he remarked.
Some water specialists have expressed surprise at the freezing of these water conservation programs due to Trump’s executive order, as they do not seem to align with the president’s proclaimed priorities of eliminating diversity initiatives and enhancing domestic energy production.
“These are not radical environmental initiatives,” commented Anne Castle, who served in federal water policy roles during both the Biden and Obama administrations. “They are crucial for the ongoing ability to divert water.”
Water users whose grants are currently on hold have stated they are seeking more information from the federal government but are receiving minimal responses. The federal agencies overseeing Western water have not replied to NPR’s requests for comments.
Conservation initiatives like the one providing financial support to California farmers have been vital in boosting water supplies in major reservoirs. This is particularly important as leaders from the states relying on Colorado River water find themselves in a legal impasse regarding future sharing arrangements. Progress appears to be slow as discussions continue behind closed doors ahead of a 2026 deadline.
A farm worker adjusts sprinkler heads spraying water that comes from the Colorado River Oct. 18, 2002 near El Centro, Calif.
David McNew/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
hide caption
toggle caption
David McNew/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
“The sudden removal of this appropriated funding undermines years of meticulous collaboration between states within the Colorado River Basin,” said Castle, “and jeopardizes the sustainability of the entire system.”
Alongside water conservation initiatives, the Inflation Reduction Act allocated significant funds aimed at preserving the cleanliness and health of Colorado River tributaries. Conservation organizations, small nonprofits, Native American tribes, and local governments received federal funding for various projects, including wildfire prevention and habitat restoration.
Sonja Chavez, general manager of the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, anticipated that these funds would benefit her organization for river enhancement projects in Western Colorado.
“Without some resolution to this freeze or further guidance on what to expect for stakeholders,” she said, “we might have to halt our entire initiatives.”
Small watershed organizations and their efforts to restore and improve smaller river segments heavily rely on federal financial support.
“Federal funding is crucial as it’s the primary funding source,” remarked Holly Loff, a grant writer in Western Colorado and former director of the Eagle River Watershed Council. “Very few entities beyond the federal government can compete with those large sums.”
Small organizations relying on federal financing are scrambling to devise contingency plans following the funding suspension, with leaders expressing concerns that filling the gap with donor or local government funds would prove challenging.
Loff stated that a prolonged funding freeze would inflict substantial financial distress on communities adjacent to the Colorado River, including those dependent on water-based recreation, as well as consumers who purchase produce grown with Colorado River water.
“Our economy will certainly suffer,” she stated. “The ramifications extend far and wide. It’s hard to envision how anyone could possibly escape being affected.”
