The federal government
and the seven Colorado River basin states Wednesday released the final results
of the cooperative Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study. The
report evaluates the future reliability of the Colorado River system to meet
increasing demands and outlines potential strategies for dealing with projected
imbalances. The nearly three-year project began in January 2010 as a joint
effort of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and representatives of the basin
states.
Future demands on the river system are analyzed under six hypothetical
situations, which include varying factors that will affect the system over the
next few decades: population growth in the basin states, potential savings from
conservation, and economic conditions in the watershed. Under these projected
situations, the demand for consumptive uses in the Colorado River system is projected
to range between 18.1 and 20.4 million acre-feet by 2060.
The projected supply of the river system is analyzed under four different
supply scenarios, taking into account historical hydrological records and the
potential effects of climate change. Under the demand and supply analyses
presented by the study, an average supply imbalance of 3.2 million acre-feet
per year is expected by 2060.
The study team reviewed approximately 160 options for dealing with the
potential imbalances on a basin-wide level, submitted by participants,
stakeholders in the system, and the general public during a general request for
options between
November 2011 and February 2012. These submissions were organized by the
project team, and assembled into portfolios, representing a varied range of
ideas and effectiveness for dealing with imbalances.
The basin states have committed to remaining within the bounds of the "Law
of the River," the evolution of management and cooperation for governance
of this resource, and the path forward in consideration of this study will
remain a cooperative effort. Director Jennifer Gimbel
of the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) said: "This study
reaffirms the concept under which Colorado water agencies such as the CWCB and Interbasin Compact Committee have been operating: There is
no silver bullet, or easy answer to the supply and demand imbalances on the
Colorado River. The way forward is through cooperation with our neighbors,
holistic management of the river, and a varied portfolio of strategies."
Added Ted Kowalski, CWCB section chief, who served on the Basin Study Project
team: "We've already been addressing these issues on a Colorado-wide
scale, with projects such as the Colorado River Water Availability Study, and
through the work of the basin roundtables. Now, with this basin-wide,
cooperative effort, we can get a glimpse of the bigger picture, and begin to
work towards planning for the future, with a well-informed idea of where we're
headed."
The complete study is available at http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/programs/crbstudy.htmland
more information can be obtained by contacting CWCB staff. In addition, the
Colorado River basin states have signed a set of commitments following the
release of this study, which are available at http://cwcb.state.co.us.
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