Sign in

Morgan

@cowaternerd.bsky.social
55 followers 44 following 63 posts

Western water policy and river obsessed. Best discussed while floating on said water.

PostsRepliesMedia
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
In my utopia, people in the West understand this about water law specifically.
021
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Not saying in-stream flow programs are bad or don’t have a place in addressing local ecological concerns, just that they aren’t going to fix the problem.
010
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Over and over again the solutions that are proposed for water shortages in the West are based on current tools, like in-stream flow programs, but those fully fail to recognize the scale of the crisis. Fixing this is going to involve creating new tools, not trying to make existing solutions scale.
110
Reposted by Morgan
Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Trump didn't just eliminate 91% of Bears Ears National Monument — he eliminated the first-of-its-kind tribal commission that has helped manage the monument: www.hcn.org/articles/bea...
hcn.org
Bears Ears cuts also end first-of-its-kind tribal land commission  - High Country News
A presidential proclamation slashed the monument by 90% despite a promise to involve tribes.
4124102
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Yikes. Makes me think of the (slightly tongue in cheek) idea that with a destabilized climate there’s a 50/50 chance we lose Glen Canyon dam to a flood instead of dead pool.
000
Reposted by Morgan
Ian James @ianjames.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
The dire ‘math problem’ of the Colorado River I asked Anne Castle how far western states’ leaders are from really addressing the crisis. Her answer: Nowhere near. www.latimes.com/environment/...
latimes.com
A dire 'math problem' on the Colorado River and wholly inadequate responses
The Colorado River is severely overtapped and its reservoirs are declining to critically low levels. Experts analyze what it would take to head off disaster.
05327
Reposted by Morgan
Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
I'm having a hard time believing my eyes with water data this year. The Colorado River mainstem through Grand Junction was flowing at 54 cfs last night. Not a typo. 54 cfs. Last year on this date it was flowing at 1,420cfs. Even in 2002, the driest year on record, it was at 690cfs on April 22.
17181121
Reposted by Morgan
Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Went down to the Colorado River in Grand Junction to see what this very low flow looks like. Plenty of exposed cobble bars. Looking low and slow and what you might expect to see in late summer with heavy diversion upstream. Not the start of spring runoff.
46321
Reposted by Morgan
Tanner Allread @tannerallread.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Honestly still in shock by its placement, but my article (and job talk paper), “Indigenous Constitutionalism,” is officially out in the Harvard Law Review. A brief thread on this project🧵 harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-13...
harvardlawreview.org
Indigenous Constitutionalism - Harvard Law Review
By standard accounts, there are fifty-four constitutions across the federal, state, and territorial governments of the United States. But in fact, there are 230 other governmental constitutions that currently govern peoples and territories within the United States. These constitutions not only flow from a sovereignty that existed prior to the United States but also came out of a legal movement that asserted its independence from both the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions. This Article tells the story of these constitutions — the constitutions of Native nations.
1522660
Reposted by Morgan
Dakota Smith @weatherdak.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Colorado mountain snow: average year vs. this year. Record low snowpack by a HUGE margin.
49141
Reposted by Morgan
Brad Udall @bradudall.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
This is a graph of snowpack above Lake Powell using 104 snow measuring stations. It was 9 inches of water on March 7, now 6 inches. Other dry years shown.There is no historical analog to this.
Colorado River snowpack evolution since Oct 2025. Melt started about March 7.  Down to 6
Inches now from 9 inches then. There is no historical analog.
199
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Will be interesting to see what a major heat wave does to next month’s projections.
010
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Things in the CO basin just keep heating up. Literally. The year without summer? Try the year without runoff.
010
Reposted by Morgan
Jonathan Overpeck @greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Western US snowpack is still looking BAD. Hope for snow, but plan for low river flows and severe wildfire risk.
12812
Reposted by Morgan
E-Something @nullinterface.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
the Colorado River - again refusing to honor the Compact that it's bound to
042
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Demand management and in-stream flow programs are great for addressing local environmental, ecological, and production concerns, but they aren’t up to saving 4 maf.
000
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
When thinking of solutions for the CO river basin, the scale of the problem far exceeds what is possible with demand management or in stream flow programs. Instead it seems reasonable to think of/address what the downstream (pun intended) impacts of removing water from the land are and address those
101
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Oh, and give the rivers some damn water. In a first in time, first in right system, they were here first and their rights to exist (and thus support human civilization) are primary.
030
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Everyone has to reduce their water use, and that reduction has to be collective-a full cultural shift. The primary burden will fall on ag because they are the primary users of water, but they are not alone, and they do not act in a vacuum.
110
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
our entire relationship with water, and ag has to change. HOW we perform ag is the key, not whether ag exists at all. Not the same for municipal lawns. Those are bad and need to go. More trees less lawns, Denver.
120
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
It is also unarguable that farm and ranch lands, especially in regions where we have removed wetlands, provide significant ecosystem services to the public. To be clear, I actually don’t think ag is the bad guy here, nor do I think it needs to go away. What I do think is that
110
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
It also means critically examining the Western identity of farmers and ranchers. In the scheme of things, 100 years of ag settlement is nothing, but it is a big piece of people’s cultural identity, and cultural identity is important for belonging and engaged citizens.
110
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
The agricultural economy is not insignificant but it is also not an insurmountable barrier if the alternative is complete environmental degradation and collapse of the whole system. We make these changes in certain areas to protect row cropping in others (I love salads in winter).
110
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
It looks like transitioning from production of forage crops potentially to low impact grazing and low/no water intensive production. It looks like a massive increase in farm bill conservation title programs, like we saw after the dust bowl to assist agricultural producers to make this shift.
110
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
While the evaporation savings from draining Powell will help, it’s still a fraction of the total savings that are needed to stabilize the basin. So what does that look like? It looks like restoring grasslands and wetlands while we still have water to establish grasses and restore soil health.
110
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
The makings of a continuous dust-on-snow event. But if we don’t change our relationship with water, water use, and ag in the basin, Lake Mead will go the way of Powell, and there’s a lot more people reliant on Mead.
110
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
This also means there’s big money interests who are willing to bring takings claims. Real big caveat here though-we disrupted the native grasslands and desert habitats, so if we just remove water from the lands, the results could be essential another dust bowl.
110
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Step two is learning to treat water like the public good it is. Western water law provides that water is held in the public trust, but the right to use water is a private property right that has lead to the over exploitation of water in the basin.
110
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Decommissioning/by-passing Glen Canyon Dam, which directly serves Page, AZ for municipal water (they’ll need a new pipe and we should pay) and is a relic to help upper basin states comply with a compact we made up, is step one. It’s basic triage, and it’s the easy step.
121
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
One final note - this project should also include putting the river back in its historical channel at North Wash so the sediment continues to be moved downstream and doesn’t become a toxic dust source.
160
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
As the lake gets lower, these elevations take less water to change. All of this just results in cascading problems. Altering the ability to release from Powell is the only option and it has to be done BEFORE there’s a crisis.
170
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
3,490’ absolute bottom of power pool and reliant on cavitating outlet works, 3,470’ penstock intake- couldn’t put water through them even if we wanted to sacrifice the power plant, 3,440’ too little pressure to release enough to meet compact, 3,374 dead pool and then down at 3,133 is river level.
150
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
As I keep screaming from the rooftop, construction takes time, and we’re out of time! Things only get worse and worse starting around here 3,510’:
183
Reposted by Morgan
Zak 🦦 Podmore @zakpodmore.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
They’ve been missing deadlines since 2022. It’s time to end the charade and begin drilling tunnels around the Glen Canyon Dam
2112
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
I’d bet my law school loans that the law is more flexible than the water that falls from the sky.
030
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Without an incredible change in the trajectory of winter precipitation in the CO Basin this may be the year we see catastrophic collapse of the system and it really feels like we’re just standing on the tracks watching the train saying “we don’t have the legal authority to step off the track”
1103
Reposted by Morgan
Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
New projections out today show Lake Powell -- nation's second largest reservoir -- careening toward a loss of hydropower production as early as July 2026. Even the more optimistic model shows it losing power in December. Meanwhile, the basin's leaders today admit failure on crafting new policy.
066
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
A little bit of snow falling in the San Juans the last few days, rain in the mid country, which really brings up the issue: the states can sue each other and the courts can find for whoever they want, but if there’s not enough water to get through Glen Canyon dam, it’s all irrelevant.
000
Reposted by Morgan
Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Talked about the Colorado River on @kjzz.org: www.kjzz.org/the-show/202... Conversation inspired by my recent @nytimes.com op-ed: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/o...
kjzz.org
Colorado River states are staring down a Feb. 14 deadline. Here's what might happen next
Arizona’s water future depends on negotiations over Colorado River water that are coming to a head right now.
0144
Reposted by Morgan
Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
“I don't see any plan, any strategy, any end game,” says Pat Parenteau, a professor of environmental law at the University of Vermont. “I don't see anything from this administration, just fuck everything up as much as you can. You can print that.” Sounds accurate to me.
wired.com
The Fight Over US Climate Rules Is Just Beginning
As the EPA moves to roll back the endangerment finding, which allows it to regulate greenhouse gases, experts predict uncertainty for business and a protracted legal fight.
121372530
Reposted by Morgan
Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Even with the weekend snows, Upper Colorado River basin snowpack is still at a record low with barely a flake in the 10-day forecast.
052
Reposted by Morgan
Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
As of today we have a new record low snowpack for the Upper Colorado River basin for late January.
31617
Reposted by Morgan
Coyote Gulch @coyotegulch.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
Town council presented with flood recovery funding scenarios after FEMA denies funds -- The #PagosaSprings Sun #SanJuanRiver coyotegulch.blog/2026/01/11/t...
coyotegulch.blog
Town council presented with flood recovery funding scenarios after FEMA denies funds — The #PagosaSprings Sun #SanJuanRiver
Total precipitation (inches) from 9-15 October 2025 with gridded data from the PRISM Climate Group and observations from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow (CoCoRaHS) network. Click t…
001
Reposted by Morgan
Melissa Sevigny @melissasevigny.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
My latest in @protectparks.bsky.social's magazine, about a trip down Cataract Canyon to see how drought has drained a reservoir... and revived a river. www.npca.org/articles/112...
npca.org
Wild River, Ghost Lake
Drought is a crisis for the West. But it has also resurrected a long-lost desert river.
085
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Beyond the requisite wondering lost through Vegas casinos, CRWUA started this year with a 1am wake-up by the neighbors drunkenly picking the wrong door to try to open. In Vegas, all who wonder apparently are lost
000
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
I don’t envy DOI’s responsibility in the CO basin, but I also don’t envy the position of state negotiators, who have been tasked with solving the water crisis, ensuring their state’s water supply, and complying with a compact that is straight off a Contracts exam asking “why is this void?”
040
Reposted by Morgan
Luke Runyon @lukerunyon.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
A study in public policy crafted in the dark. Utah's negotiator claims no Colorado River deadline missed, the feds were pleased with progress on a plan... the public just can't see it yet. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
subscriber.politicopro.com
E&E News: Deadline for Colorado River decision shifts to February
The clock is ticking on short-term interstate deals on water use. A long-term operating plan must be in place by Oct. 1, 2026.
052
Morgan @cowaternerd.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Litigation may take years, but power pool may take months. If it doesn’t start snowing, we’re going to need the construction speed of the dam building era just to avoid dead pool. The question is quickly turning from can we agree/litigate fast enough, to can we build fast enough.
000
Reposted by Morgan
Ian James @ianjames.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
“Litigation could take years, if not decades, to resolve. The effects of aridification are unfolding at a faster rate.” @danielrothberg.bsky.social invisiblewaters.substack.com/p/what-happe...
invisiblewaters.substack.com
What happened on the Colorado River?
Negotiating around legal uncertainties as climate change takes its toll.
13415
Reposted by Morgan
Daniel Rothberg @danielrothberg.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
“Previous negotiations did not address core issues. They either delayed them or worked around them, making do based on the circumstances of the time.” Good piece from Caitlin Ochs on the legal questions behind the Colorado River talks: www.hcn.org/articles/why...
hcn.org
Why Colorado River negotiations are so difficult - High Country News
Basin states have had 2 years to figure out how to share the shrinking river. Will they get there before the feds step in?
0115