University of Nevada, Reno

This project examines community perceptions and decisions about climate science, economics, and policies associated with resilience strategies that address increasing water scarcity in the Southwest. Strategies to be evaluated include: investments in built infrastructure (e.g., reservoirs and pipelines); incentive-based risk-sharing agreements; and watershed ecosystem services. The project emphasizes how ecosystem services can buffer water impacts of climate change, as well as the potential for climate mitigation as a strategy to enhance water supply security. Project outputs will include a replicable method for co-producing resilient water-related climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, including scientific and economic evaluation. Potential outcomes include improved water supply reliability and cooperation on adapting to shortages for a regional economy that exceeds $3 trillion annually.

In spring 2018, a group of Colorado River basin water providers approached the CLIMAS and Western Water Assessment (WWA) RISAS with a request for a comprehensive, state-of-the-science synthesis of the science related to Colorado River climate and hydrology. WWA took the lead in working with 15 researchers and 14 water agencies to develop a report. The final report, over 500 pages in length, was the culmination of 2 years of work to compile and interpret the latest research on this topic. By synthesizing the state of the science in the Colorado River Basin regarding climate and hydrology, this report seeks to establish a broadly shared understanding that can guide the strategic integration of new research into practice. https://wwa.colorado.edu/publications/reports/CRBreport/.

This web page documents the process through which this report was generated. https://sway.office.com/F1DIHYaF36kgDuqK?ref=Link

Persistent drought and climate change affect water and energy costs, and hence choices made by farms, cities and industrial water and energy users, as well as energy and water providers’ operations. This project examines potential climate change and variability adaptation strategies related to water and energy in the Colorado River and Rio Grande Basins, including northwestern Mexico. Researchers are investigating how climate influences the market price of water and developing a menu of water and energy supply reliability tools with guidelines for using these tools.