Category Archives: Colorado River Basin

A Tale of Two Colorado River Basins

There is an interesting trend in the Bureau of Reclamation’s 24-Month studies projecting future elevations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead:  The Bureau projects recovering elevations in Lake Powell and continued deteriorating elevations in Lake Mead.  Continue reading →

What can we Learn from the Aftermath of the Tragic Floods in Colorado last Month?

In September, 2013, as you probably know, Colorado faced some of the worst floods to the state in recent history. Lives were tragically lost, many thousands of survivors were displaced, and the overflowing of rivers caused widespread damage. The flooding in terms of intensity in some areas is unrivaled to any event since the tragic flooding of 1976. In this year’s floods, some areas along the Big Thompson River received an average year’s worth of rainfall in just a few short hours. In the aftermath of this devastating flood, what can we learn from the event to plan better in the future? I would like to offer my thoughts on a few areas related to this. Continue reading →

¿Habla Espanol?: What Failure of Bay Delta Conservation Plan Means for Southern California

The Voice of San Diego ran a story today about the Cadiz Project that provides a “teachable moment” about the complexity of California water.  Would the Cadiz project benefit from failure of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (“BDCP”)?  The Voice says yes.  Professionals know that water is complex and the impact of a Bay Delta failure is no exception.  The big winner would be bi-national water projects, not Cadiz.   Continue reading →

Increasing Hydrologic Risk in the Colorado River Basin

Climate change received added buzz with President Obama’s second inaugural speech on January 21st.  Climate change poses at least three issues for water resource management and investment:

  • What is the anticipated magnitude and timing of climate change?
  • Has anticipated changes already been reflected in actual hydrologic conditions?
  • What does it mean and what to do about it?

For the Colorado River Basin, the issue of changing hydrologic conditions has been alive for decades and steps have already been taken.  Judging by the changes in actual hydrologic conditions, the challenge is significant—especially for water users down the priority list of water rights.   Continue reading →