Latest news with #WesternResourceAdvocates
Newsweek
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Lake Mead Warning Issued: 'On a Knife's Edge'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A warning has been issued over low water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell, with advocates saying the Colorado River Basin is "on a knife's edge." Dry conditions and disappointing runoff from winter snowpack have sharply reduced the Colorado River's flow, straining a vital water supply for millions across the American Southwest. Why It Matters Lake Mead is a vital water source for millions of people across Nevada, Arizona, California, and parts of Mexico. Its declining levels could potentially jeopardize municipal water supplies, agricultural irrigation, and hydroelectric power generation. A ferry boat passes Rock Island rises on Lake Mead along the Colorado River on March 14, 2025 in Boulder City, Nevada. A ferry boat passes Rock Island rises on Lake Mead along the Colorado River on March 14, 2025 in Boulder City, To Know As of May 30, Lake Mead's water level measured 1,057.43 feet mean sea level (MSL), 171.57 feet below its full pool of 1,229. Lake Powell was at 3,558.92 feet MSL, 141.08 feet below its full pool of 3,700 feet, according to Lakes Online, an online resource for lake and reservoir information. The levels, combined with disappointing snowmelts, have raised the prospect of deeper shortages and cutbacks in water deliveries in the years ahead, according to the Los Angeles Times. John Berggren, the regional policy manager for the nonprofit group Western Resource Advocates, told the paper, "Increasing temperatures in recent decades are having a real impact on runoff." "It's something that, unfortunately, we're going to see more and more of, where you need well above average snowpack to come somewhere close to average runoff because of the warming temperatures," he continued. "We're kind of on a knife's edge between being OK and being in very scary, catastrophic situations," Berggren added. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S., with a capacity of nearly 29 million acre-feet of water. It is followed closely by Lake Powell, which can hold some 26 million acre-feet. Lake Mead, which receives flows from Lake Powell, hit critically low levels during the summer of 2022 following years of drought. Levels have somewhat recovered since. What People Are Saying Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, told the Los Angeles Times: "This is another year that is not going to help the Colorado basin's long-term water crisis. It's going to make things worse. This year will once again be putting more stress on the Colorado system." Kyle Roerink, executive director of the Great Basin Water Network, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal previously: "It's going to be a painful summer, watching the levels go down. We're getting to those dangerous levels we saw a few years ago." "These types of runoff conditions make water managers nervous. They make NGOs nervous, and they certainly make water users nervous." What Happens Next An earlier study from UCLA and the Natural Resources Defense Council suggested that raising wastewater recycling to 40 percent in the Colorado Basin could conserve nearly 900,000 acre-feet annually, potentially supplying nearly two million households.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Colorado River snowpack takes major dive; streamflow projections lowered
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A late-season rollercoaster ride this year turned into a steep decline for snowpack levels that feed the Colorado River. Since April 9, when snowstorms pushed snowpack from 91% to just over 100% in a single day, conditions have changed dramatically and levels have fallen to 70% of normal as of Friday, April 18. That's concerning for 40 million people who rely on the river for water. The black line in the graph below shows this year's snowpack levels, or more technically, snow water equivalent (SWE) levels, in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Projections from the federal government have been adjusted, showing less water flowing into Lake Powell, the nation's second-largest reservoir. Streamflow at Lake Powell is now expected to be about two-thirds of normal this year (67%). Just two weeks ago, projections showed it would be about three-fourths of normal (74%). The one-day flirtation with normal snowpack levels is a distant memory now. And all of that is happening before water gets as far as Lake Mead — the nation's largest reservoir, where Southern Nevada gets 90% of its water. APRIL 4 REPORT: Snowpack at 90% of normal as 'lean' year projected for Southern Nevada 'This has been another — unfortunately — classic year of the impact of climate change where high up in the Rocky Mountains in the headwaters of the Colorado River, you have slightly below average or average snowpack, which seems good on paper,' John Berggren, regional policy manager for Western Resource Advocates, said on Wednesday. 'But for a variety of reasons, that's not translating to average runoff for the Colorado River,' he said. Berggren, based in Boulder, Colorado, has been studying water conditions in the West for 15 years. He has a Ph.D. in water policy and leads Colorado River work for the nonprofit. While the steep plunge in snowpack is troubling, there's something else on Berggren's mind: There's no agreement in place yet for how the river will be managed when guidelines expire next year. The last major development in that process came on March 7, when officials from lower basin states (Nevada, Arizona and California) urged the Trump administration to set aside a decision by the outgoing Biden administration. Water officials said the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation made a mistake by not including an option that would consider infrastructure changes at Glen Canyon Dam. 'I don't think decision makers are seriously considering enough, the fact that Glen Canyon Dam needs to be completely re-engineered,' Eric Balken, executive director of the nonprofit Glen Canyon Institute, said in an April interview. If the surface of Lake Powell drops below 3,490 feet above sea level, the dam would be incapable of releasing enough water to meet requirements under the Colorado River Compact, commonly referred to as the 'Law of the River,' according to an analysis released in 2022. Lake Powell is currently 33% full, at 3,558 feet. Projections indicate the reservoir's low point over the next two years will be about 3,549 feet. That's about 33 feet below it's projected high point of 3,581 feet. The federal government has not replied publicly to the states' request for a 'do-over.' 'Unfortunately, politics gets involved and each upper and lower basin states have their negotiating positions. But we all here in the West rely on this river,' Berggren said. 'You're downstream, we're upstream, we all rely on this river, and so not having an agreement is a big challenge and potentially harms the river and the people who rely on it,' he said. 'We need the states to come together, we need them to agree, need them to find compromise, find ways to reach an agreement where we can all move forward with a healthy flowing Colorado River,' Berggren said. A report released April 15 by the Bureau of Reclamation shows only slight adjustments to expected reservoir levels over the next two years despite the expected reduction in streamflow. But rewinding to 2024, the projections are quite different from reality. (Below, pages from the Bureau's 24-month study showing projections for Lake Mead and Lake Powell) The typical low-water mark for Lake Mead comes in July each year. For this year, that's expected to be 1,053.58 feet. A year ago, the projected level for July 2025 was 1,048.24 feet, so the lake is now expected to be more than 5 feet higher than projections from last year. Projections for Lake Powell are not as optimistic. Lake Powell's low-water mark typically comes in April, just before spring runoff begins and reservoirs build up. For this year, that's expected to be 1,062.68 feet — about 9 feet lower than projections from last year (3571.24 feet). Getting nervous about lake levels isn't going to solve anything, but inaction could be a far more damaging course. Berggren echoed comments that have been provided some motivation for leaders to get ahead of the decision before it's too late. 'There is almost universal agreement that litigation should be the last resort by all means. If the states can't reach an agreement, and this thing ends up in the Supreme Court, you're looking at maybe a decade or longer for the Supreme Court to make a decision,' Berggren said. 'And who knows … the only thing we know from that decision is there will be winners and losers, and we don't know who the winners and losers would be. So it's a huge risk to the states, it's a risk to water users, it's incredibly expensive, incredibly time-intensive process to potentially not know where you're going to end up,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grid modernization, cost concerns clash in debate on energy overhaul
Amid a larger energy transition that promises a move away from fossil fuels alongside sharp increases in demand for electricity, Democratic lawmakers have zeroed in on the changes they say are needed for New Mexico's aging grid to handle increased capacity and changing technologies for generating and deploying electricity. House Bill 13 — or the Power Up New Mexico Act — passed the House on Saturday afternoon after a long debate by a mostly party-line vote of 36-23. Democrats argue it's an important step to bring the state's energy grid into the future, while Republicans pushed back on the potential costs for customers of the state's three privately owned utilities. Bill sponsor Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil, D-Albuquerque, called it 'the single most important issue I have ever worked on' in a recent committee hearing, arguing the state's grid is among 'the worst in the nation.' She pointed to the need for grid upgrades in Bernalillo County to accommodate fast chargers for increasing numbers of electric vehicles — including, potentially, electric semi-trucks — and even the need for attention to grids in the Permian Basin to support oil and gas operations. A host of environmental and clean energy advocacy groups were involved in the creation of HB 13 and strongly support the bill, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Western Resource Advocates and the Sierra Club. Hochman-Vigil pointed to dozens of other 'stakeholders' who were involved, such as unions, automobile manufacturers and more. The bill will require the state's three investor-owned utilities to submit plans every three years to state regulators spelling out planned upgrades to their electric distribution systems, aiming to direct focus on building a better grid to handle more demand and to more efficiently connect new businesses and small-scale solar power systems, which put energy into the grid as well. A similar bill passed last year in Colorado, also with strong support from the Natural Resources Defense Council. GOP questions costs Republicans have pushed back on the bill, objecting to possible rate hikes for electricity customers after increases and added charges have already bloated utility bills in recent years. A request currently pending before regulators would increase average monthly bills for residential Public Service Company of New Mexico customers by about $10 a month. HB 13 provides for utilities to recover the spending associated with their plans through rate increases or tariff riders, which increase the costs of electric bills with supplemental charges. Such added costs must be approved by the state Public Regulation Commission before they can be implemented. Rep. Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, said at a recent committee hearing he had spoken with leaders of the utilities and heard 'a lot of concerns' about the bill, which he argued would pile more requirements and costs onto the companies and their customers in the years after the 2019 Energy Transition Act mandated a shift away from fossil fuels in New Mexico. 'Their concern is this is another set of separate expenses that will be passed onto their ratepayers,' Montoya said. 'Current ratepayers are not necessarily the target with this — folks who will benefit the most will be economic development ... but current ratepayers would bear the cost.' El Paso Electric and Southwestern Public Service Company both expressed support for HB 13 during hearings on the bill. PNM was neutral on it, a spokesperson said, declining to comment. On the House floor Saturday, Montoya urged all Republicans to vote against the bill, calling it 'an outrageous mandate to utility companies to increase beyond the current need of current customers, and the current customers will have to pay for it.' All the Republicans who were present voted against the bill, and all of the Democrats — with the exception of Joanne Ferrary, D-Las Cruces — voted for it. 'Forward-thinking' bill Advocates of HB 13 have said it won't necessarily raise rates but rather that it will ensure utilities make timely, necessary changes to the grid to comply with laws and regulations already in place. They've argued the incentives to move to more efficient appliances and spur economic development could result in lower energy costs. 'Most of this bill is about refining PRC processes and taking away roadblocks that have stopped us from refining our grid,' Hochman-Vigil said. 'Power Up New Mexico is about removing regulatory barriers to do this faster, better and more efficiently.' Jim Desjardins, executive director of the Renewable Energy Industries Association, said the bill is a 'forward-thinking' measure that will prepare the state for inevitable shifts that are already underway. 'People don't think twice when we talk about investing in our roads,' Desjardins said. 'When was the last time we had an argument about that? People don't like the inconvenience, but it's kind of a similar thing — one moves cars and one moves electricity.' Part of building a 'modern electric grid' is ensuring energy can efficiently move both ways on distribution lines. Desjardins pointed to roadblocks and delays in recent years in connecting PNM customers' rooftop solar systems — including in some neighborhoods in the Santa Fe area — saying recent new regulatory approaches have required the utility to retool interconnection processes to allow for more rooftop solar systems on some distribution lines. The larger project of 'grid modernization' includes many other investments, including 'smart meters,' needed to prepare the grid for changing realities of energy use and generation. 'As we look to the future, we've got to be real and look at integrating these technologies and building a better system,' Desjardins said. Former Public Regulation Commissioner Steve Fischmann expressed support for the bill, comparing the new requirement for distribution plans to the annual integrated resource plans utilities are already required to submit every year, which detail their plans for years to come for new generation resources including solar, wind and battery storage to cover increasing demand. Fischmann said he sees regulators coming to focus more closely on the bigger picture of distribution investments, which he said have been 'virtually unregulated in the past.' 'They're starting to look at it seriously,' he said. 'And more importantly, they're looking at it holistically. They're trying to put all the pieces together, and there are going to be huge investments in distribution and grid modernization going forward.' Gas stoves Some questioned the bill's requirement for 'beneficial electrification' plans from utilities every six years, with approval from the PRC. The plans concern utilities' programs for providing incentives for converting from 'a non-electric fuel source to a high-efficiency electric source' as well as 'avoiding the use of non-electric fuel sources in new construction or industrial applications.' New Mexico Gas Co. staunchly opposes the provision. A lobbyist for the state's largest natural gas utility argued in a hearing that encouraging customers to move away from gas-powered appliances would hurt their remaining customers, who he said would 'as a result, pay more for that system to be maintained.' 'Are you going to take my gas stove or my water heater?' Rep. Jonathan Henry, R-Artesia, asked during a committee hearing. Hochman-Vigil said any switches from gas to electric appliances would be 'entirely voluntary.' She said the provision does not pass any new standards or lower the emissions goals already in place in the state, but rather requires the utilities to draft plans that state 'how we are going to get there.'
