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Writers on the Range George Sibley is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively discussion about Western issues. He has written extensively about the Colorado River. Some Colorado River tribulations today remind me of a folk story: A young man went to visit his fiancé and found the family trembling and weeping. They pointed to the ceiling, where an axe was embedded in a rafter. “That could fall,” the father quavered. “It could kill someone!” Puzzled, the young man climbed onto a chair, and pulled the axe out of the rafter. ...

“That could fall,” the father quavered. “It could kill someone!” Puzzled, the young man climbed onto a chair, and pulled the axe out of the rafter. Everyone fell all over themselves thanking him. But he quickly broke off the engagement, concerned that such inanity might be inheritable. This resembles ongoing dithering over the 1922 Colorado River Compact, a 99-year-old agreement among the seven states through which the Colorado River meanders, on how the consumptive use of the river’s water should be divided to give each state a fair share. The agreement was necessary to get federal...

Writers on the Range: Pumping up fear on the Colorado River Durango, Colorado Tue 66% chance of precipitation 14% chance of precipitation 1% chance of precipitation Tuesday, April 27, 2021 5:03 PM Writers on the Range: Pumping up fear on the Colorado River Toggle font size Loading the English audio player... Some Colorado River tribulations today remind me of a folk story: A young man went to visit his fiancé and found the family trembling and weeping. They pointed to the ceiling, where an axe was embedded in a rafter. “That could fall,” the father quavered. “It could ...

George Sibley: Pumping up fear along the Colorado River The Upper Basin states should not suffer all the pain for a drought-starved river. (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Colorado River flows into Lake Powell near Hite Marina on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. By George Sibley | Writers on the Range   | April 26, 2021, 5:30 p.m. Some Colorado River tribulations today remind me of a folk story: A young man went to visit his fiancé and found the family trembling and weeping. They pointed to the ceiling, where an axe was embedded in a rafter. “That could fall,” the father quaver...

 and is republished here by permission. Interstate water disputes are as American as apple pie. States often think a neighboring state is using more than its fair share from a river, lake or aquifer that crosses borders. Climate stresses are raising the stakes. Rising temperatures require farmers to use more water to grow the same amount of crops. Prolonged and severe droughts decrease available supplies. Wildfires are burning hotter and lasting longer. Fires bake the soil, reducing forests’ ability to hold water, increasing evaporation from barren land and compromising water supplies. Sta...