- 82nd Session (2023)
Senate Joint Resolution No. 3–
Committee on Natural Resources
FILE NUMBER..........
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION—Urging the United States Bureau
of Reclamation to consider certain actions, alternatives and
measures for the protection and management of the Colorado
River.
WHEREAS, The Colorado River is the most vital water source in
Nevada and much of the western United States, sustaining the life
and livelihood of 7 western states, 22 Indian tribes and Mexico; and
WHEREAS, The Colorado River supports the needs of 40 million
people in the United States and Mexico, irrigates over 5 million
acres of land, generates hydropower for several million people and
supports recreational and tourism industries; and
WHEREAS, Ninety percent of Southern Nevada’s water supply
comes from the Colorado River via Lake Mead; and
WHEREAS, Facing unprecedented drought and aridification, the
Colorado River is in crisis with Lake Mead currently at 28 percent
capacity; and
WHEREAS, The Colorado River is also overallocated with more
water committed for use than is available from the Colorado River
in an average year resulting in a structural deficit in the Colorado
River; and
WHEREAS, The seven Colorado River Basin states of Arizona,
California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming
have yet to reach a consensus on a plan to decrease current water
use; and
WHEREAS, The Federal Government intends to take unilateral
action regarding the management of the Colorado River if the
Colorado River Basin states do not present a reasonable plan for
water management; and
WHEREAS, The Southern Nevada Water Authority and the
Colorado River Commission, on behalf of the State of Nevada, have
urged all users of the Colorado River in every state and sector to
work together towards a solution to the water crisis and to reduce
water demands to reflect the hydrological reality of the Colorado
River Basin; and
WHEREAS, In August 2022, the Southern Nevada Water
Authority, on behalf of the State of Nevada, submitted a letter to the
United States Bureau of Reclamation listing 12 recommendations to
address the crisis on the Colorado River, including adopting
methods to account for evaporation and system losses in the
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Colorado River and investing in long-term, durable water
conservation to permanently reduce the structural deficit in the
Colorado River; and
WHEREAS, In November 2022, the United States Bureau of
Reclamation announced its intention to prepare a supplemental
environmental impact statement for the December 2007 Record of
Decision entitled “Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower
Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and
Lake Mead”; and
WHEREAS, In December 2022, the Southern Nevada Water
Authority and the Colorado River Commission, on behalf of the
State of Nevada, submitted a proposed alternative to the United
States Bureau of Reclamation for consideration in the supplemental
environmental impact statement process that presented
recommendations to address the structural deficit in the Colorado
River; and
WHEREAS, In January 2023, representatives of Nevada joined
with the representatives of five other Colorado River Basin states to
submit to the United States Bureau of Reclamation a Consensus-
Based Modeling Alternative to help stabilize the water levels of
Lake Mead and Lake Powell and asked the Bureau to consider and
model the Consensus-Based Modeling Alternative in the
supplemental environmental impact statement process; and
WHEREAS, The recommendations of Nevada and the Consensus-
Based Modeling Alternative to address the Colorado River crisis
present a solid starting point for further discussions on the
management of the Colorado River; and
WHEREAS, The current Colorado River crisis is dire but solvable
if the Colorado River Basin States, the Federal Government and
Mexico cooperate to address the crisis; and
WHEREAS, Federal money and other funding mechanisms can
aid with short-term water management and prevent the future
depletion of the already depleted Colorado River, but the long-term
sustainability of the Colorado River system requires the investment
of additional money to implement permanent reductions in demand
for Colorado River water; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF
NEVADA, JOINTLY, That the members of the 82nd Session of the
Nevada Legislature strongly support the pursuit of a collaboration-
based framework to address the structural deficit in the Colorado
River; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the members of the 82nd Session of the
Nevada Legislature support the inclusion of mechanisms to account
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for evaporation and system losses in the Colorado River in the
future management of the Colorado River; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the members of the 82nd Session of the
Nevada Legislature hereby urge the United States Bureau of
Reclamation to amend existing federal regulations to prohibit the
inefficient delivery, application or use of any water from the
Colorado River by all sectors and users of water from the Colorado
River to limit unnecessary water losses on the Colorado River; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and
transmit a copy of this resolution to the United States Secretary of
the Interior, the United States Commissioner of the Bureau of
Reclamation and the Nevada Congressional Delegation; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That this resolution becomes effective upon
passage.
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