Water in Colorado: Climate, Hydrology and Uses

Dr. Gigi RichardFaculty Director, Water Center at CMUProfessor, Geosciences

River Cañon - Nestler

Water in Colorado: Climate, Hydrology and Uses

2015 Water Year

Oct 1

2014

Sept 302015

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep

2014

2015

Water year is named for the year in which it

ends

How to define “normal”?

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

1971-2000 = 30 years

1981-2010 = 30 years

We often compare to the average of a recent 30-yr period

“The new normal” = warmer, drier, lower streamflow

Warmer, drier and

lower streamflow than 1970s

Colorado’s Water Supply

Image credit: Colo. Foundation for Water Education

A “Headwaters” State

Interstate Compacts

Importance of the Colorado

RiverWater for nearly 40 million people

Metropolitan areas have a combined metro gdp of $1.7 trillion (12th largest economy in the world)

International treaty w/ Mexico and interstate compact between seven states

Irrigates 2.2 million hectares of land (15% of US crops & 13% of livestock)

Generates more than 4,200 MW of electricity

Recreation & tourism

A “ribbon of green” – riparian areas in the Southwest make up less than 3% of the landscape, but provide critical resources for over 75% of wildlife

from US Bureau of Reclamation, 2012,Colorado River Basin Study

What is climate?Described by the long-term temperature and precipitation regime at a location

What’s the difference between weather and climate?

If you don’t like the weather:Wait five minutes!

If you don’t like the climate:Move!

Location! Changes very slowlyVery predictable

Grand Junction 9.4 in/yr

Colorado Average Precipitation 15.5 in/yr

Boulder 20.7 in/yrDenver 15.5 in/yrFort Collins 16.1 in/yr

Aridity DroughtAridity is a permanent climatic condition in a region, whereas drought is a temporary lack of moisture

Colorado’s climate varies spatially and temporally

Monthly temperature and precipitation, avg. 1971-2000

Blue bar = mean monthly precip, in (right axis)

Red line = mean daily

max T for each month

Blue line = mean daily min T for each month

From Climate Change in Colorado: A Synthesis to Support Water Resources Management and Adaptation , produced by Western Water Assessment, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder for the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Aug 2014

Climate & Hydrology of the Colorado River Basin

34% of watershed receives < 10 in/yr

84% of watershed receives < 20 in/yrMost of the runoff is produced by only 15% of the drainage area

Colorado River at CO-UT State Line

2011 Floo

d

Yampa River at Deer Lodge

Colorado River at CO-UT State Line

2012 Drough

t

Maps from http://climate.colostate.edu/~drought/

Streamflow data from usgs.gov

2013Drought?

Flood!

Variability in timing and distribution of precipitation result in variable streamflow and availability of surface water supply

GEOL 355 - Introduction 15

80-90% of the Population

80% of the Water

What do we do when we don’t

have water when and where

we need it?

From High Country News

Glen Canyon Dam, 1963

Lake Powell 27 million ac-ft

storage capacity

Hoover Dam, 1935Lake Mead

29 million ac-ft storage capacity

Photo by Peter McBride

Photos by Peter McBride

http://www.usbr.gov/lc

All-American CanalPhoto from Nasa.gov

Colorado River AqueductLos Angeles & San Diego

http://www.nydailynews.com/

Central Arizona Project

Oct.1921

Natural Variability

Filling Lake Powell

1983 Flood

Controlled Variability

Blue Mesa Dam completed 1966

Blue Mesa Dam completed 1966

Resulting impacts

Pre-dam Mean Annual Flood 82,700 cfs Post-dam

Mean Annual Flood 30,000 cfs

Hydrology

Sediment supply & channel

morphology

Ecological – riparian & aquatic

Water Quality

From VanSteeter & Pitlick 1998

Data from usgs.gov

Use ac-ft/yr

Public Supply 950,000

Domestic Fresh 42,500

Irrigation 10,900,000

Livestock 41,300

Aquaculture 137,000

Industrial 146,000

Mining 32,000

Thermoelectric 86,300

Total 12,335,100

How do we use water in Colorado?

Irrigation

89%

Data from Maupin, M.A., Kenny, J.F., Hutson, S.S., Lovelace, J.K., Barber, N.L., and Linsey, K.S., 2014, Estimated use of water in the United States in 2010: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1405, 56 pp.

How does Colorado’s water use compare with other states?

Figure from Maupin, M.A., Kenny, J.F., Hutson, S.S., Lovelace, J.K., Barber, N.L., and Linsey, K.S., 2014, Estimated use of water in the United States in 2010: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1405, 56 pp.

Irrigation withdrawals by state, 2010

#1CA

#2ID #3

CO

Data from Maupin, M.A., Kenny, J.F., Hutson, S.S., Lovelace, J.K., Barber, N.L., and Linsey, K.S., 2014, Estimated use of water in the United States in 2010: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1405 , 56 pp.

Groundwater Withdrawals in Colorado, 2010

215 mgd

157 mgd

1 mgd

141 mgd

Data from Maupin, M.A., Kenny, J.F., Hutson, S.S., Lovelace, J.K., Barber, N.L., and Linsey, K.S., 2014, Estimated use of water in the United States in 2010: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1405, 56 pp.

130 mgd

Surface Water Withdrawals in Colorado, 2010

754 mgd

702 mgd

441 mgd

559 mgd

355 mgd

Data from Maupin, M.A., Kenny, J.F., Hutson, S.S., Lovelace, J.K., Barber, N.L., and Linsey, K.S., 2014, Estimated use of water in the United States in 2010: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1405, 56 pp.

438 mgd

413 mgd

409 mgd

Total Freshwater Withdrawals in Colorado, 2010

755 mgd

462 mgd

579 mgd

703 mgd

563 mgd

Data from Maupin, M.A., Kenny, J.F., Hutson, S.S., Lovelace, J.K., Barber, N.L., and Linsey, K.S., 2014, Estimated use of water in the United States in 2010: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1405, 56 pp.

Thank you

Yampa River, June 2011, G. Richard