Norton says conservation is key to water management in West

DENVER — Long-term planning to deal with explosive growth in the West involves better management and conservation, not new storage projects, Interior Secretary Gale Norton said Friday.

At a daylong forum, Norton also urged water managers and government leaders from around the West to work to resolve political and legal battles that could be sparked by overtapped supplies.

"There are so many other possibilities in between, so instead of getting hung up on that polarized debate, there are certainly a lot of opportunities for conservation," she said.

"Real solutions will come from people who will have to live with or without water. Working together we can make a difference for the future of the West," Norton said.

However, farmers hoped to sway Norton to include water-storage projects, including dams and small lakes, in any regional water plans. Farmers are worried as more land goes to development, they will make the sacrifice by doing with less water.

Bill Pauli, a spokesman for the California Farm Bureau, said an additional 8 to 10 million acre-feet of water would be needed to meet additional demands from the region's growing population over the next several years. "You can continue to take water from agriculture, but at some point we're going to need more storage," he said.

An acre-foot of water equals 326,000 gallons of water, enough for a family of four.

The conference drew about 300 representatives of farming interests and recreationalists, municipal water managers and government leaders to discuss Norton's proposal to focus on conservation, efficiency and water banks for insurance in drought years.

The plan, called Water 2025, is to move away from crisis management toward a pro-active approach. Similar forums will be held throughout the summer in eight other states.

John Keys, commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, said the purpose of the water meeting was to hash out ideas and forge a new philosophy.

"Today it's words and ideals and goals. Tomorrow it's about actions and results. How we do it is up to us," he said.

Explosive growth has strained water resources that also support billion-dollar farm economies and are crucial to maintaining the survival of a host of endangered species.