A Score of Changes and More in Store

Dave Kanzer1

 

1Colorado River District

 

Old timers (now=me) know that ‘time is a jet plane; it moves too fast’.

New timers (maybe = you), may not realize that Bob Dylan was talking to you, when he penned these classic lyrics in 1975.

And, although he didn’t say it, Dylan knew that when that jet lands, it lands in a different world from whence it took off.

In the 20 years that REW has been jetting through time, mitigating and adapting, the world has dramatically changed. And when this conference lands, it lands in a way different place. Just consider, at the beginning of 2002, most Colorado River Basin reservoirs were near full, rules for surplus water supplies just finalized, and the term aridification was reserved for the Sahara desert.  

Today, the Colorado system storage stands at less than 28% of capacity with a forecasted 90% probability that critical power generation protection levels at Lake Powell will be broken this year and response plans are being rolled out for Tier 2 water shortage being declared in central Arizona.

And with projections that warming will continue across the Colorado River Basin, changes are coming to Western Colorado. Many climate scientists project that the worst drought since 800 AD will continue into the next 20 years, with significant impacts to our rivers and environment that will require changes to our historical practices.

It is beyond time to plan for a different world.