Colorado River Basin Water Management Evaluating and Adjusting to Hydroclimatic Variability (2007) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 13-25
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From page 13... ...
Variations in the Colorado River's flow have long been of interest to water users and managers, and the record of the river's flows based on flow data gathered at Lees Ferry, Arizona, is one of the nation's best-known stream gaging sites. Another noteworthy feature of the Colorado River basin is its large amount of storage capacity relative 13
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From page 14... ...
Collectively known as the Law of the River, key components of this legal and institutional framework include the 1922 Colorado River Compact, the 1928 Boulder Canyon Project Act, the 1944 MexicoUnited States Treaty, the 1948 Upper Colorado River Basin Compact, the Colorado River Storage Project Act of 1956, the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Arizona v.
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From page 15... ...
Introduction 15 © International Mapping Associates FIGURE 1-1 Colorado River basin.
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From page 16... ...
These projects are designed to provide water to users both within and beyond the Colorado River basin, including much of southern Cali fornia, Colorado's Front Range cities, and the City of Albuquerque.
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From page 17... ...
, the large water storage capacity in the basin and the eventual return of wetter conditions heretofore have allowed water delivery obligations to be reliably met. WATER SUPPLY CONDITIONS AND HYDROCLIMATIC STUDIES Multiple factors converged across the Colorado River basin during the 1990s and early 2000s that prompted serious concerns among water managers and elected officials regarding long-term water delivery prospects.
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From page 18... ...
Colorado River flows are estimated based on data collected by a network of streamflow gages. These instrumental records date back to the late 19th century in some parts of the Colorado River basin.
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From page 19... ...
STATEMENT OF TASK AND SCOPE OF REPORT These water supply and demand issues prompted the National Research Council (NRC) in 2005 to undertake this study of the Scientific Bases of Colorado River Basin Water Management (see Box 11)
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From page 20... ...
The study's overarching objec tive will be to help produce an improved hydrologic baseline to be used in support of water project operations and water resources management decisions (e.g., storage operations and diversions) across the Colorado River basin, and other regions of the western United States, especially during periods of extended drought.
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From page 21... ...
Institutional arrangements for establishing a process for gathering and evaluating hydro-climatic variability and water availability informa tion across the Colorado River basin will be explored. The goal is to promote the development and use of a common scientific knowledge base by the basin's numerous water management authorities and entities.
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From page 22... ...
Within the scope of its statement of task and its available resources, however, the committee chose to focus on reviewing existing scientific knowledge of hydroclimatic variability and on discussing the implications of hydroclimatic variability in the context of key water management challenges in the Colorado River basin. With regard to the science and technology portion of its task statement, the committee discussed how to interpret and comment on the phrase an "improved hydrologic baseline." The committee decided that, given its interdisciplinary membership and time and resource limitations, the most appropriate way to approach this phrase (and its statement of task)
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From page 23... ...
. These experts provided an abundance of valuable information, sharing both research findings and personal points of view on Colorado River water and climate issues.
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This audience includes congressional representatives, state legislatures and public officials, and state engineers and water resources and economic planners in the seven Colorado River basin states; federal- and state-level scientists, including hydrologists and climatologists; academic experts with interests in water-related fields; Colorado River basin tribal groups and their representatives; land and natural resources managers; municipalities, farmers, and ranchers that receive deliveries of Colorado River water; environmental groups; hydroelectric power generation
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From page 25... ...
Following this introductory chapter, Chapter 2 reviews historical events as well as laws, agreements, compacts, and judicial rulings affecting the use of Colorado River water. Chapter 3 discusses important climatic and hydrologic features, data, and methods that underlie the scientific bases of Colorado River water management decisions.
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