Briefings
Presentations from each briefing are linked below
August 22, 2016
- Colorado River Briefing – Tom Buschatzke, ADWR Director and Ted Cooke, CAP General Manager
- Colorado River Briefing Webinar
May 18, 2016
- Introduction - Clint Chandler, Assistant Director, Arizona Department of Water Resources
- Overview of the Colorado River System - Dan Bunk, BCOO River Operations Manager, Lower Colorado Region
- Arizona's Plans in Action - Ted Cooke, General Manager, CAP
- Drought Contingency Planning & Next Steps - Clint Chandler, Assistant Director, Arizona Department of Water Resources
April 22, 2015
- Workshop Overview - Tom Buschatzke
- Colorado River Overview - Dan Bunk, BCOO River Operations Manager, Lower Colorado Region
- Shortage Impacts to Arizona & Near and Longer-Term Risks - Chuck Cullom, Colorado River Programs Manager, CAP
- Shortage Impacts to CAP Priority Pools and Customers - Jessica Fox, Planning Analyst, CAP & Brian Henning, Water Control Manager, CAP
- CAP Financial Impacts - Ted Cooke, Deputy General Manager, CAP
- Arizona's Plans in Action Briefing - Tom Buschatzke & Virginia O’Connell, Manager, Arizona Water Banking Authority
- Reservoir Protection Actions - Chuck Cullom
- Arizona's Message - Tom Buschatzke
The Colorado River system has experienced extensive drought conditions for more than 16 years. As a result, water levels in Lake Mead, the primary storage reservoir for the Lower Basin states, and the entire Colorado River System have been rapidly declining and projections indicate that this will continue into the foreseeable future. Lake Mead water levels are important because they determine whether a shortage is declared on the Colorado River. All the states that share the river, the federal government and Mexico previously agreed to shortage “trigger levels” and resulting reduced delivery amounts in the 2007 Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. These were developed based on data that was available at that time, very early in the Colorado River drought. Now, nearly 10 years later it is apparent that those guidelines are not enough. New river flow projections indicate that Lake Mead levels could drop to the point of seriously impacting power generation and water availability, despite the Shortage Sharing Guidelines. So, the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Proposal (DC Proposal) has been drafted to protect Lake Mead in a way that improves the health of the river system and shares the burden of reductions among Arizona, California, Nevada and the United States while still honoring the previous agreements.
Resources About Shortage
- Drought Contingency Proposal Fact Sheet
- Arizona is Rising up to meet the Challenges of Falling Water Levels at Lake Mead
- Water Savings Starting to Pay Off at Lake Mead
- Additional funding allocated for Pilot System Conservation Program
- Lake Mead Structural Deficit Adds to Issues of Drought and Shortage
More Information
