The Colorado River District commends the Colorado River Basin
Water Supply and Demand Study as a thorough and detailed call to
action for Colorado River stakeholders to address a gap between
human and environmental demands on the river system and the
amount of water it produces annually. "The study confirms what
we already understand: the Colorado River is already fully
used," said Colorado River District General Manager Eric Kuhn.
"In the very near future, the demand for the river's resources
will far exceed the available supply. In order to meet the needs
of people and aquatic-dependent species and habitats, new ways
of thinking and doing business will be essential." The study
demonstrates that demands in the seven basin states and the
Republic of Mexico frequently exceed the system's estimated
annual supply, a gap that is projected to widen to 3.2 million
acre-feet by 2060 when the population that depends on the river
system is estimated to double. (An acre-foot is a measurement
standard for water volume.