"At least we're not the only ones in the dark," Fred said.
Grant saw a contingency of managers from the Bureau of Reclamation over by a buffet of hors d'oeuvres. Bruce Godfrey of River Hydraulics was among the group. Grant and Fred walked over and joined them. Bruce was uncharacteristically quiet and nervous. Grant wondered if Bruce had heard something. For the next half hour, the crowd in the visitor center continued to grow. Although Grant didn't know most of them, he recognized many as
Washington
politicians he had seen on TV. Finally, a few minutes before 11:00 a.m., a helicopter could be heard. It landed in a vacant spot in the rear parking lot. The crowd was ushered outside and to the rear lot, where Grant noticed a small platform had been erected on the edge of the canyon. A podium with a half dozen microphones had been placed in the center of the platform. On each side of the podium were two large easels covered with canvas.
The President of the
United States
exited the helicopter surrounded by a throng of Secret Service personnel all wearing dark sunglasses. As he worked his way to the podium, he greeted the Senate Minority leader, a Democrat, and they shook hands and smiled at each other, although the entire country knew the two men despised each other. The pack of people from the visitor center jockeyed for good spots close to the podium. Grant and Fred remained farther away under the shade of one of the few sparse trees in the lot. The national news networks had set up their cameras about five car lengths from the podium, so they could get the steep canyon walls and the
Colorado River
in the backdrop.
When the President approached the platform he was followed by the Senate majority leader, a Republican, and the Senate minority leader. Right behind them were the top-ranking Republicans and Democrats from the House of Representatives. An aid with a clipboard gave them all last-minute instructions. He pointed at the microphones and then at one of the covered easels, raising the canvas slightly, but not enough to uncover the display under it. The president nodded repeatedly. The two Senate leaders were positioned next to the easel on the left side of the platform, and the two representatives next to the one on the right. A woman touched up the President's hair, and brushed something off his cheek. Another aid stepped to the microphones, tapped one a couple times then said "test" until somebody gave him
a thumbs
up. Grant noticed that almost all the networks were already filming, their news anchors most likely speculating on what the President might say. Grant wished he and Fred were closer so they could listen. By 11:05 a.m., the anxious crowd had waited long enough. The President finally stepped to the microphones.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I speak to you today from the great state of
Arizona
, the exact site where two and a half months ago a terrible act of terrorism dramatically changed the canyon behind me and caused massive destruction for hundreds of miles downstream. I am joined today by leaders of both parties. . ." He turned and motioned to the four politicians behind him. ". . .
on
this important day."
"As you all know, this unique period of time since those two disastrous days in June has been eye-opening. Passion has been unleashed by many organizations, factions, communities, and races. Some would have us leave the
Colorado River
un-dammed and uncontrolled. Their voices have been loud, and amplified by many in the media. Others would have us rebuild these dams immediately, to restore their livelihoods, recreational areas, and in some cases, their drinking water." The President leaned forward and glared into the camera. "Unfortunately, many citizens of our country and the world are celebrating this act of terrorism, in spite of the staggering loss of life and property. I myself will not tolerate anyone celebrating the destruction of property and loss of human life for their own interests."
Grant wondered what the solution would be, since the President had just painted both sides of the argument as extremes, rebuilding the dams and not rebuilding them. Would he propose rebuilding only some of them?
The President continued. "First I'd like to say a few words about these dams and life on the
Colorado River
before them. According to historians, each spring as snow melted in the Rocky Mountains, the
Colorado
worked itself into
a frenzy
for three to five months. North of Black Canyon, for the most part, the river was trapped inside the rock walls of the Grand Canyon and
Glen
Canyon
. However, south of
Black
Canyon
, the river spread out and flooded everything from what is now
Laughlin
,
Nevada
all the way to the ocean in the
Gulf of California
. Nothing was safe. Farming was nearly impossible with too much water in the spring, then almost nothing in the late summer. A typical year on the
Colorado
was three to four months of floods, followed by a dry river for the remainder of the year."
"In the pre-dam years, Imperial Valley farmers in
California
discovered fertile soil and built a canal to their farms. With water, their farms flourished. But in 1904 a spring flood caused the canal to break, and the Colorado River changed course, diverting itself entirely into the
Imperial Valley
where it flowed for three years before the Southern Pacific Railway finally diverted it back into its channel and back to the ocean. That flood filled the valley with water, and refilled the
Salton Sea
."
"The dams dramatically changed life on the
Colorado River
. They completely eliminated the spring floods. They averaged the flow and allowed farmers to water year round. They allowed water to be stored and used to sustain life in desert cities like
Las Vegas
,
Phoenix
and
Los Angeles
, none of which could survive without water diversions. The electricity generated by these dams powered the west. The dams have also created recreational areas enjoyed by millions of people each year. Only fanatics would argue that the dams are bad. Only fanatics would argue that we should go back to the way it was before. It would eliminate some of the most fertile farmland in the country, and necessitate the relocation of millions of people."
"The
Colorado River
is the only large river in the southwest. We have a choice. We can let it run wild, flooding and eroding the landscape, then dumping into the ocean, without harnessing any benefit for man, or, we can completely control it, use it for drinking water, electricity, farming, and recreation for the citizens of the southwestern
United States
and
Mexico
."
The crowd cheered, interrupting the President's speech. Grant saw that even the two Democrats on the stand clapped, although not as enthusiastically as the Republicans next to them. He wondered how the President had swayed them to his side. What about the environmentalists? Why weren't the Democrats siding with them? The President held out his hands and waited for the applause to subside.
"So, my friends in the House and the Senate will send me a bill to rebuild the Glen Canyon Dam." He turned and motioned into the dark red rock canyon where the dam had been only a few months before. "And we will restore
Lake
Powell
."
The crowd clapped and cheered enthusiastically again, forcing the President to wait. Grant knew why the press conference was a private event and the environmentalists were not allowed past security. There would have been booing. There would have been people rushing the stage. Under the right circumstances, Grant knew that the environmentalists would kill the president if they could, for what he had just said.
The President pointed downstream. "The bill will also contain funding to repair the California Aqueduct, Head Gate Rock Dam, the Palo Verde Irrigation Dam, and Imperial Dam. Although
Hoover
,
Davis
, and Parker Dams survived, their spillways were extensively damaged by the sustained high flows. They will also be repaired."
Clapping followed, but this time more subdued.
"As a result of this catastrophe, our neighbors in
Mexico
also suffered deaths and extensive property damage, including the destruction of Morales Dam. This bill will send relief money to
Mexico
to help them rebuild as well. Senators--" He pointed at the easel and the two senators pulled the cloth off, exposing a map of the
Colorado River
with the dams marked that would be rebuilt. "This map shows our plan to restore all the dams."
Grant clapped unenthusiastically. He couldn't believe it. This was a rout. The Republicans were getting
everything,
and the environmentalists nothing. Although Grant wanted the dams to be rebuilt, he had expected concessions. This felt wrong. How had the President convinced the Democrats?
The President waited until the audience was completely quiet. "Now, let me admit something. The
Colorado River
catastrophe has taught Americans something we did not know, a secret that has been hidden for almost a century. Even most of the environmentalists didn't know about the Colorado River Delta. Over the years, more environmentalists protested to save the
Salton Sea
than the Colorado River Delta. The delta was just beyond our borders. It was on every
United States
map we've seen since elementary school. But none of us really knew what had happened to the delta. At the turn of the century, the Colorado River Delta covered thousands of square miles and the sky sometimes turned dark due to the clouds of birds. Historians report that jaguars, cougars, and bobcats patrolled the shores, and the water was teaming with schools of fish and swarms of shrimp. However, all that changed. For decades now, the delta has been reduced to wind-swept sand dunes, as dry as a bone. Our ancestors dried it up before most of us were born. When they killed the delta in the early 20th century, there were no environmentalists. There were no protests. No signs. No lying down in front of bulldozers. I personally feel that killing the delta was a travesty."
It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Grant saw that many mouths were gaping open. These were not the words they expected to hear from a conservative President.
"I'm aware that my political party gets a bad rap for its stance on the environment. And in truth, many times we find ourselves on the wrong end of environmental arguments. I would argue that it is because those disagreements generally pit 100% environmental agendas against compromises. I maintain that Republicans do not want to kill the environment, they are only searching for a compromise that they feel protects the environment while simultaneously serving the nation and the communities."
The President waved his hand back and forth.
"But we are not here today to debate party politics, or how parties are perceived. We have a crisis that necessitates a solution. Many in our nation think the
Colorado River
should be returned to the people, where 100% of the water is diverted to farms and cities and the delta dried up again, like it has been for the last century. We are not going to do that. Others want the river to be completely freed, where 100% of the water would flow into the ocean. They would advocate that the farms be shut down, and the citizens of the desert cities like
Los Angeles
and
Las Vegas
be relocated back to the east coast where there is more water. We are not going to do that either."
The President leaned forward and gripped the pulpit with both hands. His brows furrowed and his lips pursed.
"I believe that neither of those alternatives is the correct solution. They are both short-sighted and fanatical. What is needed here is a compromise, a way for the citizens to use water from the
Colorado
without killing the river. That is why I have been meeting with members of both parties in
Washington
."
He motioned at the other politicians on the stand.
"And that is why I also met with the new President of Mexico. I believe we all want the same thing here."
The President smiled mischievously. "Even the Democrats don't want to shut down
Las Vegas
and move everyone to
Florida
." He turned and casually pointed at the politician behind him. "Do you, Senator?"
The senator was obviously not prepared for the question. His face flushed and he stammered for a second before subtly shaking his head back and forth. Snickers could be heard from the audience, which made the senator blush even more.
"Of course not," the President continued. "So we needed a solution, a compromise that would satisfy both goals. Compromises always require sacrifice, and this situation is no exception. Sacrifices will be required from both sides."
The President gripped the podium with both hands again, and paused. His eyes swept the crowd. All were intently waiting for the finale.
"In 1922, the delegates of seven states -
California
,
Nevada
,
Utah
,
New Mexico
,
Colorado
,
Wyoming
, and
Arizona
signed the Colorado River Compact, an agreement to allocate
an estimated 17.5 million acre feet
of water from the
Colorado River
. A provision to ensure that 1.5 million acre feet per year reached
Mexico
was later backed up by an international treaty. Although history has shown that the original estimate of 17.5 million acre feet was too high, those two legal documents have guided water allocation on the river ever since. Both documents will be amended over the coming months."
