Western States Water Council

Western States Water Council
Name	Western States Water Council
Formation	1965
Type	Interstate compact advisory body
Headquarters	Denver, Colorado
Region served	Western United States
Membership	18 state governors' representatives
Leader title	Executive Director

Western States Water Council The Western States Water Council is an interstate advisory organization addressing water allocation, conservation, and development across the western United States. It convenes representatives from state executive branches to coordinate on transboundary water issues, drought response, compact disputes, and infrastructure planning. As a forum, it links state officials with federal agencies, tribal governments, utilities, and academic institutions to resolve complex water challenges.

History

Founded in 1965, the Council emerged amid postwar water development debates involving the Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado River Compact, and western state executives. Early work intersected with projects like Central Arizona Project, controversies surrounding the Klamath River and litigation such as Arizona v. California. The Council’s evolution paralleled major milestones including the passage of the Clean Water Act and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, which reshaped interstate water management. Over decades it has engaged on issues tied to the Missouri River Basin Project debates, the droughts of the 1970s and 2000s, and negotiations influenced by cases like Kansas v. Colorado. It has interfaced with tribal interests associated with settlements such as the Cobell v. Salazar negotiations and watershed efforts involving the Snake River and Columbia River Basin.

Mission and Objectives

The Council’s mission centers on protecting western state water rights and ensuring efficient water development through coordinated policy, technical exchange, and legal cooperation. Objectives include defending state primacy in water allocation as articulated in doctrines related to the Prior Appropriation Doctrine and resolving interstate compacts like the Colorado River Compact and Rio Grande Compact. It seeks to balance municipal, agricultural, and environmental demands informed by precedents such as National Audubon Society v. Superior Court of Alpine County and management regimes exemplified by the California State Water Resources Control Board and the Nevada Division of Water Resources.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises designated natural resource or water policy officials appointed by the governors of western states and territories, including representatives from states party to compacts like the Colorado River Compact and the Columbia River Treaty-affected jurisdictions. The Council’s governance structure features an executive committee, an executive director, and rotating officers drawn from state delegations such as the Arizona Department of Water Resources, California Department of Water Resources, and New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission. It engages statutory authorities including state legislatures like the Montana Legislature and judicial bodies such as state supreme courts when compact disputes escalate, while coordinating with federal entities including the United States Geological Survey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Programs and Activities

Programs include biennial meetings, technical workshops, model legislation drafting, and interstate compact negotiation support exemplified by involvement in negotiations similar to those under the Colorado River Basin Project umbrella. Activities extend to drought contingency planning comparable to the Drought Contingency Plan (2019) negotiations, water banking pilots like initiatives in Arizona and Nevada, and participation in multi-stakeholder forums such as proceedings associated with the Western Governors' Association and the National Governors Association. The Council hosts panels featuring experts from institutions like Stanford University, University of Colorado Boulder, and University of California, Davis.

Policy Influence and Advocacy

The Council advises governors and state legislatures, files amicus briefs in cases such as interstate disputes reminiscent of Wyoming v. Colorado and offers positions to federal agencies including Bureau of Reclamation and Environmental Protection Agency rulemakings. It provides testimony before congressional committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the United States House Committee on Natural Resources. Through coordination with entities like the Western Governors' Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Council seeks to influence federal funding priorities and regulatory frameworks affecting transboundary allocations and infrastructure permitting, including policies tied to the Endangered Species Act and federal water project authorizations in laws like the Water Resources Development Act.

Research, Data, and Technical Assistance

The Council compiles and disseminates technical analyses drawing on datasets from United States Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and regional water agencies. It supports model development for streamflow forecasting, groundwater modeling, and allocation simulation akin to tools used by the California Water Science Center and collaborates with academic research centers such as the Water Resources Research Institutes network. Technical assistance includes peer review of state water plans, guidance on interstate compact accounting, and convening subject matter experts from institutions like Colorado State University and Oregon State University.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources include state appropriations, membership dues, grants from federal agencies such as the Bureau of Reclamation and partnerships with foundations and universities. The Council partners with entities including the Western Governors' Association, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tribal organizations, municipal utilities like Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and research consortia such as the Desert Research Institute. Collaborative projects have involved public-private partnerships for infrastructure resilience and multi-jurisdictional agreements addressing drought relief modeled on regional compacts and settlement agreements.

Category:Water resource management in the United States Category:Interstate organizations based in the United States