Department of Reclamation Grant Opportunity at University of Colorado Boulder

Reclamation performs many studies that not only determine the operation of Colorado River System reservoirs but also inform mid- and long-term planning to support economic, water, energy security for the communities who rely on the river. The efficacy of these studies depends on incorporating the best available scientific methods and data from a variety of hydrology-related disciplines. The seven Colorado River Basin (Basin) States and water providers throughout the Basin (i.e., Stakeholders) support the integration of this science and have collaborated with Reclamation to apply it toward exploring potential future conditions of both manmade and natural systems. A notable example of such a collaboration is the 2012 Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study.

Reclamation and Stakeholders seek to develop a comprehensive report that summarizes the current state of climate and hydrologic science in the Colorado River Basin. Such a report will establish a common technical foundation on which to base ongoing and future Basin activities that rely on sound science. Basin-wide efforts to address the ongoing serious drought have underscored the importance of science that aims to explore historical streamflow variability, improve streamflow forecasting, and characterize future climate and hydrologic uncertainty in the Basin. Furthermore, a formal review of these topics, including data suitability and modeling capabilities, will support the work that Reclamation and Stakeholders perform in the upcoming renegotiation of the Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead (Interim Guidelines), a process that is scheduled to begin no later than 2020. The report produced by this project will help ensure that science is applied responsibly during the Basin’s critical planning and management activities.

Reclamation performs many studies that not only determine the operation of Colorado River System reservoirs but also inform mid- and long-term planning to support economic, water, energy security for the communities who rely on the river. The efficacy of these studies depends on incorporating the best available scientific methods and data from a variety of hydrology-related disciplines. The seven Colorado River Basin (Basin) States and water providers throughout the Basin (i.e., Stakeholders) support the integration of this science and have collaborated with Reclamation to apply it toward exploring potential future conditions of both manmade and natural systems. A notable example of such a collaboration is the 2012 Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study.

Reclamation and Stakeholders seek to develop a comprehensive report that summarizes the current state of climate and hydrologic science in the Colorado River Basin. Such a report will establish a common technical foundation on which to base ongoing and future Basin activities that rely on sound science. Basin-wide efforts to address the ongoing serious drought have underscored the importance of science that aims to explore historical streamflow variability, improve streamflow forecasting, and characterize future climate and hydrologic uncertainty in the Basin. Furthermore, a formal review of these topics, including data suitability and modeling capabilities, will support the work that Reclamation and Stakeholders perform in the upcoming renegotiation of the Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead (Interim Guidelines), a process that is scheduled to begin no later than 2020. The report produced by this project will help ensure that science is applied responsibly during the Basin’s critical planning and management activities.