Note to Editors: Members of the press are welcome to attend without charge. To arrange, call Doug Kenney at (303) 492-1296.
Examining the effects that drought, population growth and management will have on the future of the Colorado River will be the focus of the CU-Boulder Natural Resources Law Center's 26th Annual Summer Conference.
Titled "Hard Times on the Colorado River: Growth, Drought and the Future of the Compact," the conference will be held June 8-10 at the Fleming Law Building on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus.
Participants will discuss topics pertaining to the 1922 Colorado River Compact, which is the legal foundation for dividing up the river between seven Western states. They will discuss the ability of the system to meet delivery and hydropower obligations, potential impacts of shortages to water users and the environment, and solutions for future management.
"I'm afraid the future of the Colorado River is pretty grim," said Doug Kenney, conference coordinator and senior research associate with the Natural Resources Law Center. "As population growth continues in the West the demands for water continue and already the Colorado River is in a situation where more water is being
promised and used than is often available in most years."
U.S. Secretary of the Interior and former Colorado Attorney General Gale Norton is tentatively scheduled to deliver the keynote address at 6 p.m. on June 8. Norton, who recently turned down a proposal by Colorado and three other states to hold more Colorado River water in Lake Powell, plans to address the federal government's perspective on Colorado River problems.
Additional speakers will include water experts from academia as well as industry leaders from the Upper Colorado River Commission, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Gila River Indian Tribe and the Pacific Institute.
Colorado Supreme Court Justice Gregory J. Hobbs, who practiced law with an emphasis on water, environment, land use and transportation before his appointment to the bench in 1996, also is scheduled to talk.
The conference is open to the public and continuing legal education credits are available. A complete conference schedule, registration fees and online registration are posted at .