Andy Mueller, general manager of the Colorado River District, provided expert testimony to the Senate Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry and Natural Resources on Tuesday, June 7, in Washington, D.C. 

Mueller presented on the mounting water crisis in the West and its effects on agricultural producers and forest watersheds on Colorado’s Western Slope. In his presentation, he also focused on the impacts of climate change on water supplies in the Colorado River Basin and the federal action needed for impacted communities. Over the last 20 years, the flows of the Colorado River have been 20% below average due to a drought more severe than any in the last 1,200 years. 

Mueller also encouraged members of the Senate to support Colorado water in the 2023 Farm Bill. Approximately every five years, Congress passes a farm bill, covering a wide range of issues from conservation to rural development to food and nutrition.