Arizona Edition - Beginning March 23rd and lasting for 8 weeks, about 1 percent of the Colorado River will be released to makes its way to Sea of Cortez and bring new life as it flows through the once lush river delta. It is part of Minute 319, an agreement signed by Mexico and the U.S. more than a year ago to amend the 1944 U.S./Mexico Water Treaty that established rules for sharing the waters of the Colorado River. Minute 319 is a five-year agreement to cooperate on measures to preserve and study the Colorado River Basin, the stretch between the U.S.-Mexico border and the Sea of Cortez that was once a lush network of wetlands and river channels but is now a parched and mostly barren wasteland.
While Mexico negotiates for itself when it comes to Colorado River water, here in the United States there are several stakeholders from up and down the Colorado River with an interest in how water is allocated.
One of those stakeholders is the Central Arizona Project. Chuck Cullum is the Colorado River Programs Managers at C.A.P. Cullum says the minute 319 agreement with Mexico is an opportunity for all parties to share in the risks and rewards of regional water management. KAWC’s Lou Gum spoke with Cullum and began the conversation by asking him for a little background on what the Central Arizona Project is and how it finds itself involved in this international negotiation…(originally aired 03/19/14).
This piece was featured in the March 19th Arizona Edition. Other pieces featured in the show can be found below in the related content section.