The Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study (Study), initiated in January 2010, was conducted by the Bureau of Reclamation’s (Reclamation) Upper Colorado and Lower Colorado regions, and agencies representing the seven Colorado River Basin States1 Due to the inherent complexities of the Study and the many diverse interests and perspectives of the various stakeholders, interim reports and technical updates were published to reflect continual technical developments and the ongoing input of stakeholders. Throughout the course of the Study, eight of these interim products were published. These documents are listed in Appendix 2 – Previously Published Documents. The final documentation for the Study is organized into three major parts: an Executive Summary, this Study Report (including appendices), and technical reports (including appendices). (Basin States) in collaboration with stakeholders throughout the Colorado River Basin (Basin). As defined in the Plan of Study, the purpose of the Study is to define current and future imbalances in water supply and demand in the Basin and the adjacent areas of the Basin States that receive Colorado River water over the next 50 years (through 2060), and to develop and analyze adaptation and mitigation strategies to resolve those imbalances. The Study does not result in a decision as to how future imbalances will or should be addressed. Rather, the Study provides a common technical foundation that frames the range of potential imbalances that may be faced in the future and the range of solutions that may be considered to resolve those imbalances.
Keywords: future supply and demand scenarios; supply imbalance; system reliability analysis; water use efficiency; water reuse; water banks; water transfers; water supply augmentation; watershed management; tribes; environmental flows; climate change; variability