By Brett Rosenberg
April 11, 2005

Senator Pete Domenici (NM) and Ranking Member Jeff Bingaman (NM) on April 5th convened a session of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to address challenges facing the nation's water supply and infrastructure. The afternoon conference consisted of four panels of witnesses from local and state government agencies, Indian tribes, private companies and environmental groups, there to present their views on a number of mostly western water issues.

The first panel, Water Supply and Resources Management Coordination, conveyed the overwhelming theme that better integration of existing water laws and authorities at all levels of government is necessary. Several witnesses representing western states and conservation groups expressed concerns over ever increasing demands for high quality water resources in rapidly developing areas, coupled with often diminishing or displaced water supplies.

Another theme to emerge involved calling on the federal government to support local and state efforts at cooperative water management for municipal and regional uses, while fully funding and operating existing federal water management infrastructure, such as dams and irrigation mechanisms, and the support of new technologies for providing high quality water.

The second panels discussed the evolving roles of the federal Bureau of Reclamation in managing western water resources. The city of Santa Fe (NM) and other panel members, including tribal and agricultural interests, discussed the expanding needs of their constituencies as the Bureau of Reclamation seeks to balance its role as a federal water overseer with the needs of individual stakeholders and water rights holders in the west. As in the first panel, a theme of better governmental coordination emerged, as did suggestions for technological innovation in water management, such as desalination processes for brackish water supplies.

Panel three, Indian and Federal Reserved Water Rights, discussed means that the federal government may use to encourage adjudication or other settlements of Indian water rights claims. The panel discussed similar means of quantifying other federal reserved rights.

The final panel, Conservation and Technological Developments/Knowledge of Water Resources, explored the potential for the federal government's role in enhancing the available water supply through the development of new technologies, conservation, metering, more efficient storage, water banking and other water transfers. The panel also discussed the fundamental role water plays in sustaining environmental and economic systems and questioned whether the existing scientific base is sufficient to address potential water conflicts. As before, the panelists urged intergovernmental coordination with regard to water policy and scientific research, and suggested additional study to better understand the surface and ground water availability.

Each panelist had two minutes to address the committee, which has used this strategy before to solicit ideas for better informed public policy. Many suggestions from the session's panelists will like find their way into various bills during the 109th Congress.