Sidebar - (Review & Update) Colorado River Water - I’m From The Government - Bell & Pollock - Legal Anatomy of Current Events

In our last episode on this topic which aired in February 2023, Gary Bell and Brad Pollock covered "Colorado River & Water Rights". Who owns this water?  And who is in control of this water and has rights to it? As a recap, the law is called "Prior Appropriation" - In the old days - you're trying to make a homestead and you mark your land next to the river to claim that land and be able to use the water from the river. You start to establish a historical use of the water by appropriation - now you have priority of use over anyone downstream using the water unless they have a superior appropriation right than yours. 

In this episode, when talking about the lower basin states. (AZ, CA NV) the administrative agency (we have talked about those!); The United States Bureau of Reclamation has jurisdiction and the power to decide and control this water. How is this possible? How is this happening if we have a law of appropriation? Since a voluntary agreement wasn't made by California what will happen next to the states in the lower basin?