Denver7 (KMGH-TV) turned to James Eklund, a water law attorney and recognized authority on water management in the American West, for input on the Bureau of Reclamation’s five alternatives for the future management of the Colorado River. Eklund shares his insights on the divide between the Upper and Lower Basin states, the purpose behind the Bureau’s suggested alternatives, the impact climate change has on the Colorado River, and more.

Below is an excerpt from the interview.

“It’s not a surprise, really, that the talks are difficult. They were when I represented the state — they were very difficult. Every state wants to maximize their own self-interest, and sometimes that can create kind of another game theory dynamic, which is the prisoner’s dilemma. Everybody tries to do the best vis-a-vis themselves, and as a result, everybody kind of suffers a little bit. In this case, it’s the system that suffers, and we can’t afford that to happen,” Eklund said. “We’ve got to be very efficient with how we steward the resource. There’s just not a lot of wiggle room in it.”

“We’ve done some pretty innovative things in Colorado when it comes to water conservation… but we’ve done those voluntarily,” Eklund said. “I’m a big believer in voluntary, compensated, and temporary cuts… if we implement that kind of measure when it comes to water conservation, we can do this our way and kind of control our own destiny. However, the flip side is also true, and that is, we take our hands off the wheel, and we don’t control our own destiny. And that’s a terrifying prospect, because then the mandatory cuts that come could be pretty draconian, and people, even in municipal Denver, could feel the impacts of those.”

Watch the full interview HERE.