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In the NoCo

'Messy compromise' on tap as Western leaders hash out what's next for the Colorado River

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carson wastewater treatment
Alex Hager
/
KUNC
The seven states that use water from the Colorado River have struggled to agree on plans to significantly cut back on demand. In the meantime, cities in the basin are investing in ways to reuse water they already have. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has proposed a $3.4 billion dollar treatment facility in Carson, California to clean up sewage and make it drinkable.

Millions of people rely on water from the Colorado River, but there’s just not enough to quench everyone’s thirst. In other words, there's a big gap between the amount of water in the river, and the amount that people are using. It is a conundrum that policymakers across seven Western states continue to grapple with. Last week, more than 1,000 people with a stake in the river’s future met in Las Vegas, giving a peek behind the curtain of ongoing negotiations, and some clues as to just how hard it will be to find solutions that make everybody happy.

KUNC’s Alex Hager was there to cover that conference.
He told In The NoCo’s Erin O’Toole about the potential for troubled waters ahead.

Alex is KUNC's reporter covering the Colorado River Basin. He spent two years at Aspen Public Radio, mainly reporting on the resort economy, the environment and the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, he covered the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery for KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska.
KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.