Inspecting the once mighty Colorado River

The “mighty” Colorado River isn't as mighty as it once was. In just 11 years, the river water level has decreased by 20 percent, with demand far outweighing its supply.

Until 1998, the river stretched all the way from its source in the Colorado Rocky Mountains to Mexico's Sea of Cortez. Now, it dries up in the Sonoran Desert miles before it reaches the sea.

A delegation of Colorado River Basin region business leaders flew over the Colorado River Delta and drove along riverbeds across the border to assess damage and restoration projects. Their goal was to come up with solutions for improving the balance between the river's supply and demand.

As the Bureau of Reclamation prepares to solicit proposals from the public on ways to alleviate the increasing demands on the Colorado River, five members of Protect The Flows, a coalition of 277 businesses in the seven Colorado River basin states who directly depend on the river for their livelihood, toured the river's delta.

For three days, by land and air, they observed firsthand both the most barren and lush areas. They found the river is drying up, a trend that is continuing to move upstream. It could severely impact those who rely on the multi-billion dollar recreation industry the river fuels, unless a solution found.

The Bureau of Reclamation is seeking input later this month, and the coalition hopes to submit its findings and proposed solutions to the bureau by January.

According to the Protect the Flows, the river supports 82,000 jobs in Arizona alone, while millions more need it for drinking water.

On Sunday, the delegation traveled from Yuma to San Luis Rio Colorado, Son., for a land tour of the river delta and restoration projects in Mexico.

On Tuesday, flights provided by LightHawk, an organization that donates scientific and educational flights, provided a bird's eye view of the delta region.

They flew over the mouth of the river, the wetlands Las Cienegas de Santa Clara and the geothermal ponds which provide an ecosystem for endangered species and electricity to northern Mexico, San Diego, Calif., and Yuma.

“Sometimes you have to see the land from the air to understand it. For those of us who enjoy the river upstream, it's impressive,” pilot Hal Hayden of Prescott said.

Yamilett Carrillo Guerrero of Pronatura, a conservation organization in Mexico, led the aerial tours. As the planes flew over the river, she noted its condition.

“The riverbed is completely dry. There's no flow coming down into Mexico.”

The river's allocation to Mexico is 9 percent, with 86 percent of that going to agricultural and the rest is used by the municipalities of Mexicali, San Luis Rio Colorado and Tijuana.

Izzie Collett, owner of Desert Adventures in Boulder City, Nev., is concerned that the river doesn't reach the sea anymore.

For her, protecting the river means protecting her business, an outdoor recreation company situated at Lake Mead on Colorado River below Hoover Dam.

“The river is a very important part of the ecosystem, and 33 million people depend on the river. A little bit of water makes a difference,” she said.

Bruce Burkhardt, host and reporter of the PBS show “This American Land,” and Marsha I. Walton, the show's science journalist, accompanied the delegation of their three-day exploration.

“It's a good story. It's always fun to reveal stuff people don't know. I don't think this part of the Colorado River is widely known,” Burkhardt said.

He was particularly impressed by Monday's visit to Las Cienegas, a restored wetland area that illustrates both what the delta once was and what the river could be again. The wetlands are located about 40 miles south of San Luis Rio Colorado, Son.

Burkhardt described it as a “happy accident,” the result of second-hand water from the river deemed too salty for agriculture. Originally the plan was to guide the water into the Sea of Cortez, but the bureau stopped it about halfway. The spilled waters created the wetlands.

“It's a hugely important stopover for migratory birds. There are an incredible number of birds,” he said.

The tour also brought home another important lesson for Burkhardt.

“Over the years the Colorado River has been used by everybody, mostly in the United States, and very little is left for Mexico. The lesson is that it takes very little water to make this land come to life again,” he said.

The contrast between the floodplains and the lifeless land, “which used to be alive,” made an impression. “The Colorado River has been used for many things, except for nature.”

He pointed out that the treaties regarding the river were drawn up decades ago, before environmental concerns were considered.

“Everyone took a share and allocated water for all kinds of purposes, agriculture, mining, but nothing was put aside to serve the ecosystem. So it's been an education,” Burkhardt explained.

Collaboration between the people affected struck Walton. “One important piece is how groups like Protect The Flows work to get community members involved.”

She noted how local people are being taught English and trained to lead low-impact ecotours.

“They're getting local people educated and employed. And it's not just someone coming in and saying, ‘This is what you need to know.' Local people have to be the movers and the shakers,” Walton said.

“The focus is not just on people screaming at each other ... but people working to find some sort of solution.”

Mara Knaub can be reached at mknaub@yumasun.com or (928) 539-6856.