Water officials in the Southwest believe a San Diego-area desalination plant could help stabilize Lake Mead. The approach is overdue.
On Wednesday, water managers from Nevada, Arizona and California, agreed to explore ways to allow all three states to benefit from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, operated by the San Diego County Water Authority. The plant can produce 56,000 acre-feet a year.
The proposal wouldn’t require any new infrastructure or physical water transfers, keeping costs to a minimum. Instead, it would essentially allow Nevada and Arizona to tap a portion of California’s Colorado River allocation in years when the desalination plant produces a surplus to allow the Golden State to make up the difference.
“The Colorado River’s future depends on collaborative planning and effective implementation,” said Scott Cameron, acting commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. “No single state agency or sector can solve these challenges alone. Today’s agreement reflects the shared responsibility we all carry to protect this river.”
Yet that sentiment isn’t universal. The upper basin states on the Colorado — Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico — continue to resist accepting any of the pain associated with addressing the river’s over-allocation and the effects of prolonged drought on the system. Absent a compromise this year, the federal government may step in to take unilateral action.
In the meantime, the lower-basin states must address reality. The “memorandum of understanding” surrounding the San Diego desalination plant reflects a willingness to compromise to promote the long-term health of the Colorado and Lake Mead. It should also help pave the way for additional desalination plants in California that can be used to mitigate draws on the system.
“Imagine now a future,” Mr. Cameron said, “where a string of six or even a dozen desal facilities are operating along the California coast, producing ample amounts of beautiful, clean, clear, fresh water in an environmentally benign way to serve not just California communities, but to be shared at a reasonable price.”
That would be good news for Nevada, which has the smallest allocation of all the Colorado River states. “This agreement allows us to explore forward-thinking, strategic investments that will strengthen water resilience in Southern Nevada,” noted John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
The details for moving forward have yet to be finalized. As is the case with water in the West, there will be inevitable snags, conflicts and technical and financial issues. But these can be overcome given the obvious need for cooperation. The agreement between the three states is a welcome step forward.
