Stored water reserves within the Colorado River system continue to decline, according to a recent update from the Getches-Wilkinson Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. The mismatch between natural supply and overall Basin water use is having an inevitable effect on Basin-wide storage levels.
Impact of supply and demand mismatch
An analysis of the impact on storage in major reservoirs under two different scenarios shows that a dry year brings the system dangerously close to crashing, which refers to run-of-the-river operations. While a wet year provides a temporary reprieve, the study suggests that without significant reductions in use throughout the Basin, water users may no longer derive benefit from the reservoir system.
Purpose of the reservoir system
The extensive and expensively-constructed Colorado River reservoir system was intended to provide reliable water supplies and prosperity to the southwestern United States.
Authors of the storage study
The paper analyzing these storage impacts was authored by Anne Castle, Jack Schmidt, Eric Kuhn, Kathryn Sorensen, and Katherine Tara.
