Big win for Colorado River

Published November 28, 2012 in Ecosystems

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Last week, the United States and Mexico signed a new accord for managing drought on the Colorado River that plans to restore water to the river at its delta.

EDF and our U.S. and Mexican partners helped broker four years of negotiations and shape the final agreement. The victory begins the work of rejoining North America’s iconic river, which spans both countries, to the sea.

"For years so much water has been taken from the river that the delta – once teeming with wildlife – has dried up." said David Festa, vice president of 
our West Coast and Land, Water, Wildlife programs. "The agreement demonstrates that even in an era of drought and shortages, we can find ways to integrate human and environmental goals."

As Jennifer Pitt, EDF's director of the Colorado River Project explains in National Geographic's News Current blog, the agreement "allows Mexico to store water in Lake Mead, benefitting Mexico and the U.S. states dependent on this vital reservoir, and it commits the two countries to cooperative investments in water conservation, with benefits accruing both to water users and the environment."

Read more on the historic agreement in Pitt's post, The United States and Mexico Can Restore the Delta.