OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY |
Trudy Harlow 202-513-0574
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For Immediate Release: May 28, 2003 |
or Frank Quimby, 202-208-7291
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(WASHINGTON)-The Department
of the Interior will conduct a series of conferences this summer aimed
at expanding the dialog on ways of preventing the critical water supply
problems facing many communities in the West, Interior Secretary Norton
announced today. The regional conferences
are set for Phoenix, Arizona on July 8; Las Vegas, Nevada, July 9; Sacramento,
California, July 10; Salt Lake City, Utah, July 16; Boise, Idaho, July
17; Billings, Montana, July 29; Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 12;
and Austin, Texas, August 14. The Secretary earlier announced the kickoff
conference for Water 2025: Preventing Crises and Conflict in the West,
which will be held in Denver on June 6. "The communities facing the greatest water supply shortages in the coming decades should have a leading role in this effort, and collaboration is critical to develop locally driven, practical solutions," Norton said, noting the importance of working closely with state and local officials, environmental organizations, tribes, and public interest groups. The goals of the conferences
are to identify the watersheds facing the greatest potential risk in
the next 25 years, evaluate the most effective ways of addressing water
supply challenges, and recommend cooperative planning approaches and
tools that have the most likelihood of success. "The Water 2025 proposal
is a commitment to work with and support western governors and local
communities as they carry out realistic, community-based solutions,"
Norton emphasized. Interior can focus scarce federal dollars and technical
resources where they provide the greatest benefits. President Bush's
FY 2004 budget calls for an initial investment of $11 million for these
efforts. Significant amounts of water
can be conserved by modernizing water storage and delivery systems,
working with state and local partners to improve water management with
new technology, and targeting technical and financial assistance to
help farmers, ranchers, and municipalities make more efficient Water 2025 also proposes
spurring research and concentrating invest-ment in critically needed
areas, such as reducing the cost of desalinating sea water and impaired
inland water, providing a more affordable water source for some coastal
communities and rural and tribal communities. The Secretary's blueprint
encourages voluntary water transfers through "Failing to strategically
address long-term, systematic problems caused by competing demands for
a finite water supply can have significant consequences," Norton
said, noting the conflicts that have developed because of water shortages
in the Klamath River and Middle Rio Grande River basins. "Crisis management is
not an effective solution," she said. "This effort aims to
speed up the resolution of water supply problems and ensure that the
solutions are balanced and durable." A report on the recommendations
of the meetings will be submitted to Secretary Norton and other Administration
officials. The entire proposal may be found at www.doi.gov/water2025. Information on the conferences also will be posted to this website. For information on specific conferences, please contact the appropriate Bureau of Reclamation official listed below: Boise: Diana Cross, 208-378-5020,
DCROSS@pn.usbr.gov. |