An agreement that governs how the Colorado River’s largest reservoirs are managed will expire in 2026, and the Department of Interior recently announced it will issue a new Environmental Impact Statement that brings its policies up to date, and one nonprofit sees the EIS as an opportunity.

The department issued its last major environmental review in 2007, and since then the river basin has seen a number of changes.

Reservoirs hit record lows and non-native smallmouth bass have been found in the stream.

Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity says the new EIS needs to address climate change and the possibility that Lake Powell’s hydroelectric power system will collapse. It also needs to address the needs of the endangered humpback chub.

This is an EIS where a lot of converging interests will be playing out.

So, it’s going to be an important EIS, and it’s going to be an interesting process.

He says that although warmer water temperatures could create a better environment for the chub, the presence of bass could offset those gains.