Report Card
2016 State of the Rockies Report
The Scales of Western Water
The
heart
of
the
Rockies
Project
has
always
been
the
undergraduate
research
work
performed
by
the
fellows,
and
it
is
showcased
in
this
2016
State
of
the
Rockies
Report.
Two
of
our
student
fellows
researched
the
role
of
Native
peoples
and
water:
in
balancing
development
needs
and
recreational
river
runners
on
the
Navajo
Nation
(Maya
Williamson,
Fighting
the
Grand
Canyon
Escalade
Project:
Examining
Navajos
and
River
Runners
as
Cultural
Stakeholders),
and
in
addressing
the
often-ignored
water
quality
issues
on
Native
reservations
in
the
West
(Jonah
Seifer,
Native
American
Water
Quality
Rights:
How
the
EPA's
Treatment
as
a
State
Program
can
Strengthen
Tribal
Sovereignty
in
the
Southwest).
This
research
took
our
students
through
New
Mexico
and
Arizona,
engaging
officials
from
the
Pueblo
of
Isleta
south
of
Albuquerque,
and
interviewing
stakeholders
across
the
Navajo
Nation.
These
projects
are
complemented
by
Burkett
Huey's
focus
on
a
potential
Colorado
River
compact
call
and
water
pricing
(Water
Transfers
in
Colorado:
Past,
Present
and
Future),
and
John
Jennings'
investigation
on
water
ethics
and
how
farmers
manage
their
water
with
ethics
in
mind
(A
Paradigm
Shift
in
Water
Management
Among
Colorado
Farmers
and
Ranchers).
That
research
led
Burk
and
John
to
interact
with
agriculturalists
on
Colorado's
Western
Slope,
learning
about
water
transfers
and
irrigation
efficiencies
firsthand.
From the ethics of agricultural water use to the cultural value of water in the Southwest, the sections of the 2016 State of the Rockies Report focus on different "Scales of Western Water." Each of our student sections are included below.
Download the full 2016 State of the Rockies Report.
Water Transfers in Colorado: Past, Present, and Future
In
our
first
of
four
sections
for
the
2016
State
of
the
Rockies
Report,
Rockies
Project
Fellow
Burkett
Huey
investigates
the
history
of
water
transfers
in
Colorado
and
opportunities
for
recognizing
third-party
effects
in
future
transfers:
"The West's growing population challenges the current farming-dominated water appropriation as cities seek to buy the most senior rights from irrigators. This, in turn, leads to the term 'buy and dry,' because the practice of selling irrigation water can result in economic downturn for farmers and widespread negative, third-party effects throughout rural communities. However, water transfers don't always have to place an economic burden on agricultural communities. Some examples of rotational fallowing and water leasing mechanisms in Colorado and across the West show that water transfers can provide water for urban areas and maintain the rural, agriculture livelihood."
Native American Water Quality Rights: How the EPA's Treatment as a State Program can Strengthen Tribal Sovereignty in the Southwest
In
our
second
of
four
sections
for
the
2016
State
of
the
Rockies
Report,
Rockies
Project
Fellow
Jonah
Seifer
addresses
water
quality
issues
on
Native
American
reservations
and
the
role
that
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency's
"Treatment
as
a
State"
program
can
play
in
expanding
Tribe's
sovereignty:
"The prior appropriation system of water rights used in the western United States does not properly account for the diminishing quality of water as it flows towards the ocean. Native American tribes are often disadvantaged by this dynamic, and until recently, were relatively unable to protect themselves from the potentially hazardous discharges of upstream appropriators. Today, the Treatment as a State program administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency is allowing tribes to seek approval of authority to regulate the quality of water that enters their reservation. This new state of primacy over environmental regulations can help increase water security for all users, develop critical water infrastructure for tribal members currently without it, and promote an environmental ethic more consistent with a particular tribe's traditional values and practices. All of these results amount to strengthened tribal sovereignty. The Treatment as a State program is imperfect, however, and the EPA's implementation must be fundamentally modified to fully recognize the congressional intent behind the Clean Water Act."
A Paradigm Shift in Water Management Among Colorado Farmers and Ranchers
In
the
third
section
of
the
2016
State
of
the
Rockies
Report,
Rockies
Project
Fellow
John
Jennings
examines
a
changing
water
management
paradigm
with
Colorado's
Gunnison
River
Basin
as
the
backdrop
for
his
research.
John
interviewed
farmers
and
ranchers
across
the
basin
gathering
their
opinions
towards
some
of
Colorado's
current
water
issues:
"With the ongoing drought, projected population growth, and the impending effects of a changing climate, the arid Rocky Mountain region must reexamine its relationship with water. Although state water planning initiatives, such as the Colorado Water Plan, basin roundtables, and numerous local and national nongovernmental associations, address critical water issues in the West, many of these initiatives seem to boil down in large part to economics and oversimplify complex ways diverse stakeholders value water. While the importance of the economy and jobs is undeniable and should not be ignored, the lack of other values incorporated into discussions about water policy must be recognized."
Opposing the Grand Canyon Escalade Project: Navajos and River Runners as Cultural Stakeholders
In
our
last
of
four
sections
for
the
2016
State
of
the
Rockies
Report,
Rockies
Project
Fellow
Maya
Williamson
addresses
the
proposed
Grand
Canyon
Escalade
project
and
investigates
the
perspectives
of
Navajo
people
and
Grand
Canyon
river
runners:
"At the eastern limits of Grand Canyon National Park, on the border of the Navajo Nation and over 20 miles away from the nearest town, is the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers. The confluence, which is considered a sacred place for pilgrimage and prayer by many Navajo and Native American people, is currently the site of a major development proposal. Confluence Partners LLC, a group comprised of lawyers, large-scale development planners, financiers, and members of the Navajo Nation seek to construct a multi-billion dollar resort on the South Rim of the Canyon, as well as a gondola down to the canyon floor. The project has garnered media attention for its controversy, and four years down the line, Confluence Partners continue to face resistance from Navajo People, the tribal group Save the Confluence, as well as the Grand Canyon Trust and other national conservation organizations. The debate over the Escalade Project reflects a larger debate over the role of cultural values alongside economic values."