Utah Lawmakers Stage Colorado River War Games on Capitol Hill
When Grand County Commissioner Brian Martinez walked out of a conference room on Utah’s Capitol Hill following a war games exercise over the Colorado River, he noted that the activity had a lot of real-world implications. “I think there’s a lot of real-world implications,” Martinez told FOX 13 News following the activity.
The closed-door tabletop exercise brought together some of Utah’s most influential political leaders, experts, advocates and others to simulate the escalating crisis facing the Colorado River. Supplying water to more than 40 million people across the American West, the river system faces an intensifying deficit where demand vastly outstrips supply, prompting warnings from studies that the entire system is headed for a crash.
Inside the Chatham House Rule Tabletop Scenario
Because states along the river have failed to reach an agreement on long-term management, the U.S. Department of the Interior currently dictates river operations. Federal intervention has already forced emergency water releases from Flaming Gorge to prop up Lake Powell, mandated allocation cuts for some states, and demanded conservation from others—actions that have sparked a lawsuit.
Thursday’s exercise, organized by Utah State University’s Center for Anticipatory Intelligence and the Institute for Land, Water & Air, kept its scope fixed on Utah. Reporters were barred from the room under the “Chatham House Rule,” which keeps all spoken opinions and conversations unattributed to specific individuals.
“There’s not enough water and so how are we going to deal with the future and less water in the river?”
Participants worked through sudden logistical hurdles and policy dilemmas designed to test institutional reflexes. Rep. Scott Chew, R-Jensen, who heads the Colorado River Caucus in the Utah State Legislature, noted that organizers continuously altered the parameters. “We had curves thrown at us, different scenarios and it was a good thought process,” Chew said. “Frankly, I’m glad I had an opportunity to be a part of it.”
Lawmakers Consider Water Policy Proposals
Lawmakers in attendance confronted a wide gamut of policy proposals, ranging from piping water into Utah and desalination exchanges with other states to expanded conservation measures and water reuse. Congresswoman Celeste Maloy, whose congressional district includes the Colorado River, noted that the war games exercise considered a whole gamut of ideas and could have real-world policy implications as she votes on these issues.
“For me? As someone who is going to have to be voting on these issues? It was really good to hear from the different stakeholder groups,” Maloy told FOX 13 News. “What they’re saying, where they’re willing to compromise, where they’re not willing to compromise.”
Spencer Gibbons, CEO of the Utah Farm Bureau, acknowledged that while the event would not resolve the basin’s deep structural deficits, it forged vital cross-sector connections. Jordan Nielson, CEO of Great Salt Lake Rising, echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the value of gathering problem-solvers in a single room.
Congressman Blake Moore told FOX 13 News that the tabletop session directly prompted him to initiate direct talks with congressional colleagues across state lines, making a phone call to a California colleague in the House of Representatives to reevaluate ongoing negotiations.
