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Stored water reserves in the Colorado River system continue to decline. ÌýThe mismatch between natural supply and overall Basin water use is having the inevitable effect on Basin-wide storage. ÌýThis paper analyzes the impact on storage in the system’s major reservoirs under two scenarios – a wet year and a dry one. ÌýAnother dry year brings the system dangerously close to crashing (i.e., run-of-the-river operations), and a wet year provides only a temporary reprieve. ÌýWithout significant reductions in use throughout the Basin, water users will no longer derive any benefit from the extensive and expensively-constructed Colorado River reservoir system, intended to bring reliable water supplies and associated prosperity to the southwestern United States.

Authors: Anne Castle, Jack Schmidt, Eric Kuhn, Kathryn Sorensen, and Katherine Tara

UPDATE: Colorado River Basin Storage Continues Slide Toward System Crash