that thank you into the record. im the wyoming state engineer and wyoming governor's representative on the colorado river. i wish to express our state support for the drought contingency plans. as you have heard, the colorado river basin has been experiencing severe droughts since 2000 more than once considered during the development of the 2007 guidelines. we now know those operating rules can not sufficiently address one of the worst drought cycles ever seen. they will provide the opportunity, a bridge for the basin states federal government and other key stakeholders to collaborate on a longer-term set of sustainable solutions for managing the colorado river until 2026 when the earlier guidelines are replaced. they reduce the probability that both lakes powell and lake mead will drop to critical locations

that could occur as early as 2021. we can see two paths to respond to severe drought in the short-term. one is to watch it happen and risk a lateral action in the lower basin and dispassionate mandatory regulation in the upper basin. the other way is to authorize the dcp but will be lighter on the water users and is a product of collaboration and consensus. in either case if the drought continues, some water usages will be reduced. they must be. as a water manager, i feel compelled to offer my water users the second alternative. the plan developed to avoid heavy government intervention and mandatory curtailment. that is what dcp presents. the upper basin cannot fail to satisfy 22 compact non- depletion obligation below the powell lake. additionally we've never had to implement a difficult curtailment provisions of the

1948 upper colorado river basin compact but we know it would be difficult. the risk of under or over regulating is significant. the first tool is the drought response operations about which you've heard. this agreement establishes a process where we can move stored water above lake powell down to it to protect critical publications. if it reaches critical critical elevations, the ability to release water is jeopardized. if we cannot get water out of that reservoir, we violate 22 contact. if we cannot generate hydropower, many other needs and programs will be infected. even without the agreement, the bureau will move uncommitted storage from its upstream unit reservoir to prevent that from happening. he agreement provides a process for outreach to the stakeholders

and requires recovery. finally, as you've heard, we have committed that those operations and activities will occur under existing analysis and records of decisions and other authorities. the second tool is the demand management storage agreement to allow as you heard the upper basin to store the conserved water for later usage. much as it's done in the lower basin's program. program. its demand management program proves feasible for temporary voluntary reductions exist in the u.s. in th and the n. and wd provide us with an important tool to ensure compact compliance. with storage of the costs to the states, our program could be crafted with involvement in stakeholders. the colorado river basin needs to be implement it now, and i would ask the committee to notice was on the panel. we have seven states here and at thithis base and does its best n

all of us sing from the same book, and we need to get something done, which is why we are here today. these plans were developed through years of collaboration with this group, compromise and consensus. and they function with rigorous environmental analysis, review and the permitting process that has already been completed. the plan to require the path between federal legislation to become effective the request your support in adopting the legislation as soon as possible so the plans can be implemented this year. thank you. >> i want to thank the witnesses and we will begin questions from members. you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you mr. chair. it's having to take a lot of great leadership to get this over the finish line, so i was the director of arizona, the water resources, you've done an incredible job of bringing the diverse, greatly diverse interest in the state of arizona tickets at this point of a great

accomplishment. our leader the dean of the obligation, the chair of the natural resources committee is going to get us over the finish line within this body within congress and he has brought together in a bipartisan way all of the leaders in this body and then tribal leadership, tribal leadership has been critically important to get to the point where it has. governor luis is here representing the indian community, and other tribal leaders are here in this room. director, i first want to ask you that question about tribal leadership. how are the tribes in arizona impacted and maybe describe the role that our tribal leadership is played in developing the implementation plan. >> and cucumber representative. so, first the tribes in arizona are impacted differently depending on which way they are. as a priority of water that would be largely impacted by the

drought contingency plan, that in nine cities within the state of arizona, but the community wilthe community willtake 50% ol of water when those cuts reach that level person with to the interstate dcp. so it helped dedicate some of those impacts we did create a committee investigator does on a width of 35 or so men are as. the tribes were directly represented on that steering committee and that put together the plan. the plan involved lots of sacrifice for folks, the dog also involved some amount of litigation for those who were being impacted. in terms of the other tribes in arizona, when we put the steering committee together, but bureau was one of the members as i mentioned in my statement with many of the members of the committee as well. they worked with us to make sure

they could outreach to the other tribes in arizona and held regular meetings in and around the steering committees to get their feedback to bring their feedback five in the steering committee. .. . >> the second question is what is next as the challenge on the river and how can we be

helpful to tackle this together? so we do recognize this is a bridge to give us a safe haven moving forward to renegotiate the guidelines which expire at the end of 2026. we recognize that bridge with that plan so the mitigation reduces to 50 percent to 0 percent we do that to send a strong message this is a plan that we face to address longer-term issues that is through the renegotiation of the 2007 guidelines it remains to be seen as a result of these negotiations when

applying for the job of the governor's office but we trained him well so it's great to see he has gone on to bigger things. thank you for your leadership. i yield back. >> so you have risen? [laughter] sorry for that. >> thank you mister chairman. with the contingency here you can get a feel how important this is by having so many arizona congressional officials here today. thank you to the director to be here and all the leaders for the seven states of the basin of the driven issue to resolve and we are grateful for your leadership and with a

special welcome to governor lewis. and also to share tremendous leadership. and then to overcome working with the leadership in phoenix to get here today. when the 21st year of a long-term drought arizona has been able to sustain itself through implementation of successful conservation programs and collaboration between tribal and community and industry leaders. my district and with the central arizona project.

but to understand water conservation. we have been able to build a powerful state economy in the desert because our state the municipalities and tribes and sustainability is difficult to maintain the rapid growth and strong agricultural economy. this will provide certainty for future generations with the colorado basin river state so why are those regulatory issues that are pending? . >> so with that in turn no plan we are heavily reliant on

the ability to create more surplus to put 215,000 with the surplus program. we need this legislation passed to incentivize them to do this so the water may not be stranded so with those service areas they are losing all of their colorado river water after the third year of the plan. they will go back to pumping groundwater the right they received under the groundwater act to maintain we are working with them through the department of agriculture to look for potential opportunities to get some funding for that organization or matching local funding and the farmers themselves to help

facilitate that transition to groundwater. this is very important. . >> how does the dcp fit with the conservation program and then to the contingency plan looking at flexibility with the existing clients. one of the areas that flexibility arose was for each of those states in the lower basin with the cumulative capacity so arizona goes from 300,000 acres to 600,000 acres. we knew that volume had been

analyzed that we were covered in that regard. we knew that and the multi- species conservation those that allow us to cover any of those impacts and while they still work through the details of what that might mean that the 12 acres of backwater or marsh habitat at a cost of $1 million all within the confines of the plan. . >> thank you. come see us anytime. now to the chairman of the natural resources committee.

thank you to my colleague. so to take a rare moment of this bipartisanship of the house of the state of arizona and here in congress. it is a welcome sight. and i just want to briefly say that this provides a safe haven. that it is the interim step that will require the continued work of all the participants of congress for deeper and more meaningful assurances going forward business as usual will not be business as usual. the weather analysis and that

must me part of the future planning will be critical. is not that far away. then suddenly we find ourselves back. it just cannot be a little box to check off but by definition. and also a public health aspect. and to be blessed and also blessed with environmental tools that are only found in this area.

i do want to congratulate everyone and the urgency you brought to this with all the meetings i have had with the stakeholders and that urgency has been there. and in the phrase that i would use. and with 2026 that will be very critical. and thanks for expediting this hearing and move for the very

near future. . >> i do have to marvel at a remarkable achievement i have not found a more controversial issue than water and there is no more politically diverse group of states stand here today. i don't know how you came to agreement on this but i can only stand in awe of the fact that you did. so my question is what if congress starts to tinker with your work how fast does this unravel? as a retiree member you can give us some insight. >> thank you mister chairman. we would hope that wouldn't happen obviously. because the words were carefully crafted. we understand that it can we

would take those words home to look and see. we still need to execute the documents after legislation is completed. that is the next task to look at the language to make the decision of it's a go or no go and come back. but i hope we would be moving down the road. >> it seems you have all states in agreement and it would appear to me any changes that congress made would then be basically complicate matters enormously as you go back to your various states to digest those changes. >> absolutely. . >> is time of the essence? i guess we don't know. >> i do believe time is of the essence. in our view, we know the water

year this year looks good but as the commissioner showed one good year does not solve an 18 year drought. we want to avail ourselves of the commitments and contributions of mexico by the time the august 24 month study comes out we need action by the end of april. so i have to ask a politically incorrect question hearing about the imperial irrigation district and the importance the salt and see was a terrible accident that occurred in 18 oh five to my recall. wtf. [laughter] why are we obsessing on this. >> you are absolutely california development company was working on a diversion of

the colorado river for irrigation purposes in the southwest. so the water poured into the salt sink that is the basin of the agricultural drain water and floodwaters of coachella valley. >> does it hold any significant or environmental importance? that is just there by accident quick. >> so looking at the long term history that it would drain into the sea of cortez and silted up by arizona sending over their sand that it would burn them up in the water would slow down and actually change course to move into the

ancient lake and you can see those marks on the mountainside in the coachella valley and just how high those lake levels were. sullivan ancient history the coachella valley was part of the delta. this water feature is vitally important to the pacific by way in the community and it has become important to re-create in modern times. but we still don't understand its importance. there was a great deal of fuss over the grand canyon during the bypass of the turbines losing hydroelectricity. are we still doing that?

so yes those are occurring. and there is benefit in the science evolved. spread the gentle man from colorado. before you got your we had every member of the arizona delegation and they made a motion and change the name to the arizona river. [laughter] . >> i suspected that may happen. thank you for hosting this important hearing. the colorado dcp is the proposal that needs to be discussed not only my state but the basin states in the country.

and to serve together in the governor's cabinet many years ago. and to magnify the western united states and to be preserved and water is the lifeblood of cal of - - colorado is the headwater state as it snows it finds its way to eight team downstream states and through tribes and into mexico but it impact so many communities in the west and in my home state in particular. and stakeholders but also numerous conservationists.

one organization save the colorado will raise some questions regarding the dcp's i want to focus on a few so for any witnesses who care to comment to try to understand with the dcp what prior acts of congress or potential other permit processes does the dcp supersede to the extent it withdrew by the congress if they are interested to know whether or not it would impact a record of decision with the experimental ies plan? . >> i can answer that bluntly.

and then to operate within the framework and comply with existing environmental laws. . >> and as i understand it the bureau of reclamation study indicates with a decrease of seven.firm 4 million acres of water per year. but if i understand it with estimates of 1 million acre-feet in the lower basin

with a agricultural interest. i am curious if you could share more around those conversations with what could address the delta. >> that i believe starting out on this journey to address the situation on the river as a result of a catastrophic situation in the period of 2002 through 24 on the river. with powell and lake mead so tell us what the last ten

year. the results were that there is a shortage in the lower basin and the compromising of lake powell. those are the issues that are very apparent to us. so we went ahead to start the discussions on the lower basin what they could do with lake mead that is stable and more resilient. it is less about trying to control something we know we can and more about maintaining those reservoirs to operate them that gets the most out of it. >> thank you because as we

move forward i appreciate this hearing giving us the opportunity to engage on this issue before legislation comes before us for our consideration and as you have conversations and discussions and years to come engage the conservationist and stakeholders in the broader sense because the delta is very large and is something that is incredibly important obviously to the future of the united states and my state of colorado so that would be an important part of your work so i yelled back. >> thanks to all witnesses and anyone else who has joined us here today it has been a very helpful hearing to spotlight the dcp for the american southwest. we have heard from members on both sides we appreciate the

great hard work you have done to get us this far and now the work moves to members of congress to do our part to move this forward. thank you for your testimony. members may have additional questions please respond in writing members of the committee must submit questions within three business-- following the hearing and the record is open ten business days for these responses with no further business we are adjourned for these responses with no further business we are adjourned. [inaudible conversations]