Drought Impacts and Management

Let's state the facts: Between 1999 and 2004, the Upper Colorado River Basin experienced five consecutive years of below average flows, dipping to a low of 25% of average annual flows in 2002. Also consider that Lake Powell has not exceeded 60% capacity in over 5 years and The IPCC AR4 Report (2007) indicates that the Colorado River Basin could expect 2 degrees C of warming in the next fifty years, further affecting water supplies. Drought management is an important component of short and long-term Colorado water resource management and is crucial in below average years. This page is dedicated to drought impact assessments or studies and drought management strategies. For additional information on regional hydrology or geography, or river management use and planning, visit the other Colorado River Resources pages.

Drought Impact Assessments, Studies, and Management Strategies

(chronological order starting with most recent)

Pulwarty, R., Jacobs, K., Dole, R., 2005: The hardest working river: Drought and critical water problems on the Colorado.
In D. Wilhite (ed): Drought and Water Crises: Science, Technology and Management Taylor and Francis Press 249-285

Climate Fluctuations, Drought and Flow in the Colorado River Basin (2004)
A Fact Sheet published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The Western U.S. Drought: How Bad Is It? (2004)
A paper published in EOS, the bulletin of the American Geophysical Union comparing the current drought to others in history.

Impacts of Climate Change on the Hydrology of the Colorado River System (2002)
Poster by Niklas S. Christensen and Dennis P. Lettenmaier from the University of Washington.

Assessing the Hydrological Impacts of Climate Change on the Colorado River Basin Ongoing research by Niklas Christensen of the University of Washington's Land Surface Hydrology Group, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Severe, Sustained Drought (1995)
The report of a private interdisciplinary study of the characteristics and impacts of drought in the arid southwest, and possible mitigation measures.

Coping with Severe Sustained Drought in the Southwest (1995)
A USGS report summarizing possible hydrologic, environmental and economic impacts of a multi-year drought.

 

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