The Rundown
- Latest Bureau of Reclamation forecast shows Lake Powell dropping to troublesome levels by the end of the year.
- With the seven Colorado River states missing a federal deadline, Interior Department continues on its own path for post-2026 reservoir operations.
- EPA repeals the “endangerment finding,” the foundation of greenhouse gases regulation.
- EPA announces a harmful algal bloom conference for March.
- GAO reports on the use of pandemic-era federal financial assistance for water infrastructure.
- USGS assesses trends in naturally occurring groundwater contaminants.
And lastly, water-related legislation in Congress encompasses Ohio River restoration and a new farm bill.
“I want to thank the governors of the seven basin states for their constructive engagement and commitment to collaboration. We remain dedicated to working with them and their representatives to identify shared solutions and reduce litigation risk.” – Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, in a statement following the failure of the seven states to meet a February 14 deadline for reaching a Colorado River agreement.
By the Numbers
12: Number of naturally occurring groundwater contaminants in the United States that the U.S. Geological Survey assessed for decades-long changes. The most common result was no trend in the 89 nationwide groundwater monitoring networks. Contaminants that most frequently displayed rising concentrations include lithium, radium, sodium, sulfate, and uranium. The causes vary by location, but are based on geology, water chemistry, age of the water, and land use.
News Briefs
Colorado River Wobbles
Not a good month so far for the already teetering river.
And greater challenges to come.
The Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the basin’s big dams, released its monthly forecast of reservoir levels. The report shows, even in an average scenario, that Lake Powell drops below 3,490 ft by December this year. That’s the level at which power generation stops and water is released through the lightly tested river outlet works.
If hot and dry conditions continue, Powell reaches that level sooner – sometime in late summer.
This follows a February river flow forecast that shows the basin is on course for one of the smallest annual deposits into its water banking system on record. The forecast for runoff into Lake Powell in the critical April-to-July period is just 38 percent of normal.
On top of that, the seven basin states missed a February 14 deadline for reaching a consensus agreement on the future of the river.
The deadline was imposed by the Interior Department, which is proceeding with its consideration of five management options outlined in a draft environmental review. None of those options is particularly palatable. Interior is slated to publish a final review and record of decision this summer.
Endangerment Lost
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, after the three hottest years in the historical record, revoked its Obama-era determination that six greenhouse gases are a threat to human health and public welfare.
The “endangerment finding,” enabled by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that greenhouse gases are air pollutants, was the legal and policy support structure for regulating climate-changing emissions from fossil-fueled power plants and vehicles.
The agency hailed the repeal as a victory for “consumer choice” and cheaper cars. It marked the occasion by eliminating greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles made after 2012, including cutting a credit for automakers install a feature that turns off an engine while the car sits idle at traffic lights.
Lawyers at Snell & Wilmer called it a “watershed moment in U.S. environmental law.”
Water Bills in Congress
Representatives introduced bills on a variety of water matters, from the Ohio River basin to a new farm bill.
- Bills in both chambers would reauthorize federal R&D programs for water-based power and authorize $100 million annually for hydropower research, development, and demonstration projects.
- A bill to establish a $15 million program to fund “water project navigators” who would help disadvantaged, rural, and tribal communities in the western states plan, develop, and implement water projects.
- A bill to assess the water and wastewater infrastructure needs of Puerto Rico.
- A bill to establish within the EPA an Ohio River Basin Restoration Program.
- Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) introduced a long-awaited farm bill. Not only for crop subsidies and food stamps, the bill authorizes watershed protection programs and rural water and wastewater grants.
Studies and Reports
ARPA Funds for Water Infrastructure
In the American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law in March 2021, Congress appropriated $350 billion as economic assistance to help state, local, and tribal governments respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Water infrastructure was one of the permitted expenditures.
The Government Accountability Office, which is tracking the spending, found that local governments serving fewer than 50,000 people have allocated about 7 percent of their funds to infrastructure and most of that went to water infrastructure.
The data is complete through March 31, 2025.
Local governments have until the end of this year to spend all their funds.
In context: Billions Flow to Water Systems from Federal Pandemic Relief Funds
On the Radar
Glen Canyon Dam Work Group Meeting
On February 25 and 26, the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group will hold a public meeting in Tempe, Arizona.
On the agenda: Colorado River hydrology, possible 2026 water flow experiments, and endangered and threatened species in the basin.
The meeting will also be livestreamed. Register here.
Harmful Algal Bloom Conference
The EPA is hosting the four-day CyanoSymposium, a conference dedicated to the human and animal health dangers of cyanotoxins.
The virtual conference takes place on March 16, 18, 23, and 25. Links to attend each day can be found here.
The draft agenda includes some cringe socializing.
Day One icebreaker question: “If you could be any harmful alga, which would you be?”
EPA Cybersecurity Briefing
On February 26, the agency will hold an unclassified virtual briefing on cybersecurity threats and responses for water utilities.
Register here.
Federal Water Tap is a weekly digest spotting trends in U.S. government water policy. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.
