Future of the Colorado River (Phase 2): Reservoir Operation to Balance Water Supply and River Ecosystems in the Grand Canyon
State and federal agencies are negotiating long-term water-supply agreements for the Colorado River basin, but current policies prioritize water supply over ecological factors due to limited knowledge about how water storage strategies impact ecosystems. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will develop a tool to evaluate river ecosystem outcomes of various patterns of water consumption and reservoir operations, identifying management strategies that can help future policies balance water needs and ecological resources like native fish communities and natural flow patterns.
State and federal agencies are negotiating water-supply agreements to govern the Colorado River basin’s water supply and storage through 2046. Current policies focus primarily on water supply, with limited consideration for ecology, including native fish communities, partly due to a lack of knowledge about how ecological resources may respond to different reservoir storage strategies in Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Most water users in this region are either downstream from Lake Mead or upstream from Lake Powell, making the balance between water supply and ecosystems a critical challenge.
This project will address how water storage strategies in Lake Mead and Lake Powell affect ecological resources by developing a tool to identify optimal reservoir water release decisions. The tool will evaluate river ecosystem outcomes under different spatial patterns of consumptive water use and reservoir operations and help identify management strategies that meet ecological goals for the Grand Canyon. Key objectives include creating a more natural flow regime to restore the riparian ecosystem and maintaining a native fish community by achieving target river temperatures, maintaining the Pearce Ferry Rapids in Lake Mead, and reducing the risk of non-native fish entering and reproducing in the Grand Canyon ecosystem.
Project outcomes will include actionable strategies to balance ecological values and water supply needs, helping state and federal agencies integrate ecosystem considerations into water management policy. Tools will aid decision-makers in identifying trade-offs between potentially competing objectives and ensuring that ecological resources are better protected in future water-supply agreements.
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 66f1e32dd34e0606a9dc869e)
State and federal agencies are negotiating long-term water-supply agreements for the Colorado River basin, but current policies prioritize water supply over ecological factors due to limited knowledge about how water storage strategies impact ecosystems. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will develop a tool to evaluate river ecosystem outcomes of various patterns of water consumption and reservoir operations, identifying management strategies that can help future policies balance water needs and ecological resources like native fish communities and natural flow patterns.
State and federal agencies are negotiating water-supply agreements to govern the Colorado River basin’s water supply and storage through 2046. Current policies focus primarily on water supply, with limited consideration for ecology, including native fish communities, partly due to a lack of knowledge about how ecological resources may respond to different reservoir storage strategies in Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Most water users in this region are either downstream from Lake Mead or upstream from Lake Powell, making the balance between water supply and ecosystems a critical challenge.
This project will address how water storage strategies in Lake Mead and Lake Powell affect ecological resources by developing a tool to identify optimal reservoir water release decisions. The tool will evaluate river ecosystem outcomes under different spatial patterns of consumptive water use and reservoir operations and help identify management strategies that meet ecological goals for the Grand Canyon. Key objectives include creating a more natural flow regime to restore the riparian ecosystem and maintaining a native fish community by achieving target river temperatures, maintaining the Pearce Ferry Rapids in Lake Mead, and reducing the risk of non-native fish entering and reproducing in the Grand Canyon ecosystem.
Project outcomes will include actionable strategies to balance ecological values and water supply needs, helping state and federal agencies integrate ecosystem considerations into water management policy. Tools will aid decision-makers in identifying trade-offs between potentially competing objectives and ensuring that ecological resources are better protected in future water-supply agreements.
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 66f1e32dd34e0606a9dc869e)