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I recently participated in a live online chat with Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to discuss conservation and outdoor recreation, during which he said of the Colorado River Basin Supply and Demand Study, “What we do with the river will define the whole future of the Southwest.”
I couldn’t agree more.
As the owner of river rafting outfit in El Prado, I am one of thousands of New Mexicans who relies on the Colorado River for income, and I applaud the secretary for addressing this critical issue. Because for many of us, protecting the river means protecting our livelihoods.
Outdoor-recreation activities contribute more than $3.8 billion annually to our state economy and support 47,000 jobs across New Mexico. Recreation and related tourism generates more than $184 million in annual state tax revenue and produces $2.75 billion annually in retail sales and services.
Top economists project that as a nation, we can create an additional 2.1 million to 3.3 million jobs over the next three years if we focus on tourism. The river, put simply, is the backbone of our economy and the decisions that come from the supply and demand study will in fact define our economic futures.
In just 11 years, the Colorado River water level has decreased by 30 percent as demand continues to far outweigh its supply.
Until 1998, the river stretched all the way from its source in the Colorado Rockies to Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Now, it dries up in the Sonoran Desert miles before it reaches the sea.
This trend will continue to move upstream to the basin region communities and severely impact local businesses and those who rely on the multibillion-dollar recreation industry the river fuels, unless real solutions focused on striking a better balance between the river’s supply and demand are reached.
Luckily, there is an easy solution: If Congress supports strategies that include improved urban conservation, improved agricultural efficiency and expanded water-sharing options, then we will be able to keep enough water in the river to support our existing recreation jobs and realize our full economic potential.
