A new state Colorado River Drought Task Force will meet nine times between now and early December, and hold two public hearings to develop recommendations on how the parched river’s supplies will be managed inside state lines as its flows continue to decline. At its first meeting Monday, 100 people joined the virtual session as the 17-member task force began planning the work it must conclude by Dec. 15.
Members of the Colorado River Drought Task Force met for the first time Monday to lay the groundwork for five months of water supply problem-solving. The Colorado General Assembly passed legislation in May to create the interim task force, which will study and recommend ways state lawmakers can address Colorado River water scarcity in the future. As the members head into those discussions, several of them said one of their main priorities is to condense diverse and at times conflicting perspectives into a unified message for lawmakers.
There will be no state lawmakers on the Colorado River Drought Task Force, though Capitol leadership has a lot of influence over who is on the panel. The 17-member task force charged with spending the rest of the year studying the Colorado River water crisis to help state lawmakers respond is starting to take shape, with most of the panel now appointed.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
