May 21, 2019   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Metropolitan Statement on the Signing of the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan

Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, issues the following statement on today’s historic signing of the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan.

“Today we are seeing the culmination of a remarkable level of cooperation among seven states, two nations and 10 Indian tribes, all of which rely on the Colorado River for the success of their people, farms and economies. The tough reality is, between climate change and severe drought, the Colorado River is at risk of critical shortage. To bring back a level of sustainability to the river, and ensure we can all provide our communities a reliable water supply in the long-term, we needed to work together. And we did. California recognized that despite holding senior water rights on the river, it needed to shoulder its share of the burden. Nevada and Arizona agreed to additional contributions, beyond those agreed to in 2007. And Mexico, reaffirming its partnership with the U.S. on water issues, committed itself early to its contribution. The fact we were able to put together such a complex agreement speaks to the cooperation among the states and between the U.S. and Mexico in resolving critical issues.

“Now we must build on that cooperation and trust to negotiate long-term solutions to our challenges on the Colorado River. Climate change is already resulting in less runoff on the river, even in normal snowpack years. Those impacts are expected to worsen in the future. We have to figure out ways to make up for that or live with less. The DCP has given us a bridge to the long-term solutions we need.”

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that delivers water to 26 member agencies serving 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.