Water: Securing Our Most Critical Resource

The Colorado River Drainage and Great Salt Lake are in crisis and need to be saved. Spanning across Seven States, Two Nations, 30 Indigenous Tribes and Nations, the Colorado River supports over 40 million people and allows for the production of around 20% of American agriculture produce. We cannot allow this water system to fail.

On the surface, solutions are simple: add more water and restore the hydrological cycle of the basin to a healthy level. In practice, following a plan to accomplish this will be difficult and expensive. While conservation and smart water use remain critically important to long term success, the water system can no longer be saved by this alone.

Saving the Great Salt Lake is an essential aspect of a broader, multi-front strategy. Evaporation from the lake feeds the weather patterns that bring essential rain and snow to the Wasatch Range and the critical headwaters across Northern Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado.

Just saving the lake is not enough on its own. Yes, it'll rescue our ski tourist industry, but it is an important aspect of an overall plan. With a multi-path remediation plan, we can restore these two great waterways and secure the water needed to live for generation to come.

As a retired Civil Engineer, this is something I have given a lot of thought to, but this campaign website is not the best place to start getting into specific details.

I will work across party lines especially with the representatives of the other 6 Colorado River Compact States to secure the federal funding required for the large-scale infrastructure projects needed to address the issue. There are no quick fixes, but delaying action only guarantees disaster.