Dear Deeply Readers,
Welcome to the archives of Water Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on November 1, 2018, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on water resilience. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors and contributors.
We continue to produce events and special projects while we explore where the on-site journalism goes next. If you’d like to reach us with feedback or ideas for collaboration you can do so at [email protected].
Hannah Holm
Small programs can go a long way to save water and help farmers survive the coming shortages on the Colorado River. These should be the next focus for policymakers now wrestling with drought contingency plans.
Old assumptions aren’t working to predict today’s water supplies in the Rocky Mountain state, much less the future. Many planning scenarios ‘are actually pretty scary,’ says one water official.
Shrinking snowpack in the Colorado River watershed is not just a water supply problem, but could also lead to a variety of water quality concerns. Listen to two experts describe these changes and how we might adapt.
Los Angeles is proposing to build a 20-mile pipeline to transform Hoover Dam into a pumped storage hydropower project. It’s certainly feasible – except for the ongoing political and legal conflict over the Colorado River.
It will be challenging to adapt to changing precipitation and snowmelt patterns in the vital Colorado River watershed. Jack Schmidt at Utah State University is launching a project that may provide some answers.
New federal estimates suggest serious water shortages on the Colorado River are closer than thought. While Arizona water users try to cooperate on a conservation fix, one group of farmers stands in the way of a compromise.
A battle over who should be funding a study to examine solutions to falling water levels in Lake Powell has revealed tension in Colorado between Front Range and Western Slope water interests.
Taylor Graham Water and Environmental Journalist
Utah is proposing two large water developments to augment supplies, while the state has some of the highest consumption in the country, writes Taylor Graham of the Utah Rivers Council.
A pilot program for irrigators in the Colorado River’s upper basin states will not continue past 2018, according to a recent decision by the Upper Colorado River Commission. But water conservation and storage remain a priority.
Construction is set to begin next year, but environmentalists have filed a lawsuit over Chimney Hollow reservoir, which would store water for communities in Colorado’s Front Range.
Mary Ann Dickinson President and Chief Executive, Alliance for Water Efficiency
An assessment of the seven Colorado River Basin states shows that there are two key areas where states are lagging and a stronger legal framework could help, writes Mary Ann Dickinson of the Alliance for Water Efficiency.
Lower Basin states can easily store conserved water upstream in Lake Mead, but it’s not so simple for Upper Basin states with major reservoirs below them. There are some solutions in the works, but they’re not easy or cheap.
John Fleck Director, University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
Eric Kuhn Former General Manager, Colorado River Water Conservation District
While some problems on the Colorado River are the result of drought and climate change, Congress set the course for serious trouble in the watershed decades ago by authorizing the Central Arizona Project.
After 20 years of drought conditions, some scientists are calling for better terminology to describe the impact of rising temperatures in the region.
A new report from the Center for American Progress found that rivers in Western states have been disturbed, from headwaters to floodplains. Kate Kelly sheds more light on the project, one of the most extensive of its kind.
Colorado is projected to see a water shortage of more than 500,000 acre-feet by 2050, mainly in fast-growing Front-Range cities from Denver to Fort Collins. Critics say the growth demands more conservation, not more water development projects.
Concerning forecasts for runoff into the Rio Grande and the Colorado River are just the start of the bad news for the West as California and other southwestern states face warm weather, below average precipitation and paltry snowpack.
A proposed pipeline would funnel Lake Powell water 140 miles to a growing region of Utah, but opponents question if imported water for the beleaguered Colorado is the best way to meet demand.
Barry Gold Environment Program Director, Walton Family Foundation
Allison Harvey Turner Environment Program Director, S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation
There are reasons to be hopeful about the future of the Salton Sea, but that depends continued action and investment, writes Allison Harvey Turner of S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation and Barry Gold of Walton Family Foundation.
Tricia Gerrodette Member of the Sustainable Water Workgroup
Sandy Bahr Member of the Sustainable Water Workgroup
Gary Beverly Member of the Sustainable Water Workgroup
As Arizona works toward new water laws, more should be done to bring transparency to the policy process and prioritize environmental flows, say members of the Sustainable Water Workgroup.
Many studies have modeled future impacts from climate change, but scientists have shown that warming trends are already affecting water and ecosystems in the West.
A federal suit filed against the state of Colorado seeks to establish ‘personhood’ status for the mighty watercourse. Mari Margil, an attorney working on the case, explains what that would mean.
After 16 years of drought along the Colorado River, water quantities and prices fluctuate wildly. Now cities that depend on the river are desperate for some water regularity.
A new agreement signed between the U.S. and Mexico continues an important collaboration in managing the Colorado River, but also gives new hope for reviving stretches of the river that have run dry.
Ted Kowalski Senior Environment Program Officer, Walton Family Foundation
Innovative projects are key to improving the resilience of water supplies in the basin’s seven states, writes Ted Kowalski of the Walton Family Foundation’s Colorado River basin initiative.
Declines in Colorado River reservoirs can only partly be blamed by a lack of precipitation. Research shows that higher temperatures also played a role, write scientists Brad Udall and Jonathan Overpeck.
California’s prolonged drought has been an opportunity for the state to address critical water issues, but there is still more than can be done. Water Deeply asked four water experts about what the state should tackle next.
The state is currently investigating whether it is feasible to develop standards for direct potable reuse, which would allow treated wastewater to be sent direct to customers for drinking without first being stored in a reservoir or aquifer.
After 16 years of drought in the Colorado River Basin, Lake Mead has hit its lowest point ever. Here’s a look at what impact this will have on the 19 million Californians who depend on the water supply.
Climate change will lead to hotter, drier weather in San Diego, but also more frequent floods caused by larger storms. Water supply will be diminished but demand is expected to increase.
Lake Mead, which stores Colorado River water used by California and other states, hit a record low last month. Here’s what this means for people who depend on the reservoir.
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