WWA Research and Projects
Aurora Water Demand Managment Study
Aurora Water has implemented a variety of demand management strategies in the past 4 years that collectively have produced a significant reduction in municipal water demand. Researchers from the Western Water Assessment (WWA) in cooperation with Aurora Water are conducting an analysis of Aurora Water’s billing database over the past eight years, focusing on the residential sector which showed the highest level of response, in an effort to provide insight into water use, consumption behavior, and effectiveness of watering restrictions. Researchers Douglas Kenney, NRLC, Bobbie Klein, CSTPR, Chris Goemans, CSU, Jessica Lowrey, WWA.
2002 Drought Information and Resources
This site provides WWA publications addressing lessons learned from the 2002 drought as well as other information and resources. Researchers Researchers Douglas Kenney, NRLC, Bobbie Klein, CSTPR, Chris Goemans, CSU, Andrea Ray, Jessica Lowrey, WWA.
Water Rights and Climate Change Project
In many basins throughout the West, snowmelt is coming earlier than in historic times, prompting holders of prior appropriation water rights to demand water at an earlier calendar date than in the past. This is obviously problematic for those rights defined in terms of specific calendar dates (associated with historic patterns of use), and may be even more troublesome for rights defined more generally (e.g., such as an “irrigation season” right), as this can have the net effect of increasing the diversion season and, thus, the size of the right. This ongoing project (Summer 2007 to Summer 2008) will examine the extent to which this problem exists in Colorado and in a yet-to-be-determined Pacific Northwest state, where earlier runoff is much more pronounced than in the Rocky Mountain region. Researchers Kenney, NRLC, Klein, CSTPR, Goemans, CSU, Alvord, CIRES.
Climate Workshops for Front Range Water Managers
Climate workshops geared towards municipal, state, and federal water managers, extension specialists, other policy makers interested in climate and water resources management. Topics include long-term climate trends and projections and potential impacts to water resources in the West, as well as seasonal forecasts and outlooks. WWA has an ongoing effort to host or co-sponsor workshops with water managers to develop and maintain two-way communication on needs for climate information by this sector and climate research and products.
CO River Drought Impacts and Managment page
Collection of publications,managment plans, managment agencies, and studies dedicated to drought impacts and managment on the Colorado River.
Municipal Drought Plans
Aurora (adpoted 2005)
Boulder (adopted February 20, 2003)
Colorado Springs (adopted March 25, 2003). Chapter 12, art. 4, part 13
Denver Water (adoted May, 2004)
Erie
Longmont (adopted May 11, 2004)
Louisville (adopted March, 2004)
Thornton (adopted August 13, 2002)
