MOAB, Utah — You can see how low the water levels are, even for this time of year.
The "bathtub rings" are apparent on the shoreline and more sediment is exposed.
"This year, we did not see the same snowpack, so we didn't have near as close as a peak on the Colorado River, as we have the past two years," said John "JC" Covington, a river guide who escorted Utah lawmakers, policymakers and advocates down a portion of the mighty river last week.
FOX 13 News accompanied them for a portion of the trip.
"In order for us to really understand that there's no better way than spend a few a few minutes on the river," said Gene Shawcroft, who is the Colorado River Commissioner for Utah and one of the state's lead negotiator for the future of the river when agreements governing it expire in 2026.
Covington, who works for the river rafting company OARS, pointed out some of the issues they've dealt with as water levels have dropped in the drought. It's forced river rafters to adapt somewhat to changing conditions.
"You know, we have active sediment caving all around here as the water drops out," Covington said. "That is definitely a concern."
Utah and the six other states along the Colorado River are in the middle of negotiating new agreements governing the river. At times, it appears the discussions have been acrimonious. When the seven state representatives left a power summit in Las Vegas last year? They weren't speaking. But discussions have since resumed with one thing driving the discussions.
"We're in a situation where there's just not a lot of water," Shawcroft told FOX 13 News.
Shawcroft would not go into many details about what's being discussed behind closed doors between the states. However, there is one idea (that FOX 13 News first reported on in June) that is gaining traction. It's the notion of "natural flow." Instead of relying upon forecasts and what states "ought to have," they rely on hydrology and what's actually in the river.
Asked, how it's being received, Shawcroft said "very, very well."
"Everyone understands that we've got to live with what we have and what we have is much, much less than what we would like to have," he said. "But all seven states and the federal government who are participating in these these conversations recognize that a large river isn't something that we can plan on or anticipate."
The idea is something Shawcroft and the Colorado River Authority of Utah (created to advocate for Utah's interests on the river) explained to state lawmakers and other political officials on the river trip.
"We're having conversations about water, water policy and all the implications, and understanding this system, because it's a major driver for most of the state, including the Wasatch Front," House Majority Leader Casey Snider, R-Paradise, told FOX 13 News.
The Colorado River isn't limited to just eastern Utah. A large amount of water from the river and its tributaries is pumped into the Wasatch Front through the Central Utah Project.
"You get different communities involved. You get different industries involved," said Rep. Logan Monson, R-Blanding, whose district includes portions of the Colorado River. "There's really just lots of work to keep doing when it comes to the issues that face the Colorado River."
There are other needs to consider, too. Shanandoah Anderson, a member of the Shivwits Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, joined the river trip to get an update on negotiations. She said tribal interests are often overlooked.
"Yet we have senior water rights in a lot of the areas, and so I just always want to make sure that we are at the table," she said.
Grand County Commission Chair Bill Winfield pointed out tourism is his county's number one industry.
"So it this is an important part of it, these rafts and people being able to come down here and spend a few days or a week on the river, to be able to continue that," he said.
Shawcroft also warned the group that the Trump administration has pushed the states to come up with a skeleton agreement by mid-November. If they don't? The feds will make decisions and the states won't really like what they choose (Shawcroft said the Trump administration declined to offer specifics on the threat).
Lower Basin states have agreed to cut a million-and-a-half-acre feet.
"Beyond that is where we're really struggling," Shawcroft told FOX 13 News.
Upper Basin states have been criticized for not taking as deep of cuts, where they argue they already have made reductions. One thing that Utah is planning for post-2026? More conservation.
"Conservation is one thing that I think that the Upper Basin has contemplated all along that we would be able to put on the table in order to facilitate a deal," said Amy Haas, the executive director of the Colorado River Authority of Utah.
Shawcroft told FOX 13 News he believed the states can ultimately craft a deal, though it may be a series of short-term agreements as they continue to work toward a long term one.
"We know we have to come up with a deal. How robust that is, how long it is? Those kinds of things are still up in the air," he said.
Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation forecast deeper cuts for the Colorado River Basin. Lake Powell's election is projected to be at 3,538 feet, about 48 feet above the minimum power pool to generate electricity from Glen Canyon Dam. The agency warned that if conditions worsen, the amount of water released may be reduced further. Downstream, Lake Mead is 20 feet below a shortage trigger for the Lower Basin at 1,055 feet.
"The numbers are inauspicious but not unexpected. Now is the time for the Trump Administration to change the mindset on the river and its tributaries once and for all. In order to stabilize the system in the coming years, the Upper Basin and Lower Basin states must all cut usage and forgo any ideas about new water delivery projects," Kyle Roerink, the executive director of the Great Basin Water Network, said in a statement.
"Water is not available to meet existing demands — let alone new requests that we see popping up in regulatory dockets week after week. States like Utah and Colorado are planning to use more when others like Nevada are using less. It defies logic. All states — not just a few — need to make meaningful cuts and they need to do it now."
This article is published through the Colorado River Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative supported by the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air at Utah State University. See all of our stories about how Utahns are impacted by the Colorado River at greatsaltlakenews.org/coloradoriver
