Laserfiche WebLink
<br />OOD856 <br /> <br />Draft 5/20/04 <br /> <br />COLORADO RIVER DROUGHT MANAGEMENT AND <br />RECOVERY MEASURES INITIATIVE <br /> <br />The United States and the Colorado River Basin States have initiated actions to cope with <br />the current Colorado River Basin drought. The following is a listing and brief description <br />of potential cooperative intrastate, interstate, and international measures for consideration <br />in Colorado River drought/shortage management strategies, guidelines, and actions. This <br />is a federallBasin States work product. These measures can lessen the impact of drought, <br />help prevent water shortages, and enhance reservoir system recovery. This paper has been <br />prepared to help define the scope of existing and potential measures, and the priority for <br />implementation. <br /> <br />All measures require some form of immediate action, but were grouped in accordance <br />with those that have already been taken or initiated, those that could potentially be <br />implemented in the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Annual Operating Plan process (AOP), those <br />that could potentially be implemented later but in the near term, and those that could <br />potentially be implemented over the long term. No attempt has been made at this point to <br />assess the feasibility or effectiveness of future actions. Each measure (or combination of <br />measures) will need some form of a preliminary assessment as to its (their) potential <br />effectiveness and with respect to its (their) technical, legal, institutional, economic, <br />financial, environmental, and time requirements, etc. to determine its (their) feasibility. <br />Some of the measures, such as system management options, will require more specific <br />definition or further development prior to any assessment. <br /> <br />Given the severity of the drought and reservoir system storage drawdown, it will most <br />likely take many years for system storage to recover. Consequently, some of the drought <br />management measures may need to stay in place for some time after the drought to <br />enhance reservoir system storage recovery to best deal with the next drought. <br /> <br />Depending on the collection of measures that are pursued, it may be desirable to develop <br />a federal/state drought management and storage recovery initiative, especially ifthere <br />may be a need for timely congressional action, federal appropriations and rules and <br />regulations. <br /> <br />ACTIONS ALREADY TAKEN OR INITIATED <br /> <br />· Develop potential drought management strategies and guidelines, and <br />reservoir operating criteria. Reclamation and Basin States should conduct <br />evaluations of an array of future water supply scenarios and identified drought <br />management measures for the purposes of developing drought management <br />strategies and guidelines to mitigate drought impacts, avoid water shortages, and <br />facilitate and enhance reservoir system recovery. Part of this evaluation includes a <br />worst-case scenario. The evaluation also includes better definition of reservoir <br />water level and storage considerations relative to water deliveries, Lake Powell <br />