Colorado Water Congress has transitioned our Summer Conference to an all virtual event being held Tuesdays and Thursdays for four weeks, beginning August 25 and ending September 17, 2020.

Week 3
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
STARTS AT 12:00 PM

3 Reasons to Focus on Lake Powell

The Bureau of Reclamation just released the Colorado River Basin 2020 August 2020 24-Month Study showing April to July runoff to be 52% of average. What will this mean for Colorado in the near-term? We will also get an update on the Bureau’s formal review to evaluate the effectiveness of the 2007 Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The Draft EIS for the Lake Powell Pipeline and has now been released. The pipeline would be 140 miles long and, at full development, deliver 86,000 af/yr to ten Southern Utah communities. Invasive adult mussel populations are increasing rapidly in Lake Powell. CO Parks and Wildlife has decontaminated 15,000 boats with mussels attached including many coming from Powell.

Panelists:
• Noe Santos, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
• Zach Renstrom, Washington County Water Conservancy District
• Robert Walters, Colorado Parks and Wildlife

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

STARTS AT 3:00 PM

Technical Overview of Bureau’s Preliminary Draft Report on the 2007 Interim Guidelines

Since 2008, Lake Powell and Lake Mead have been operated in accordance with the Record of Decision for the Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and the Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The 2007 Interim Guidelines will remain in effect through December 31, 2025 – through preparation of the 2026 Annual Operating Plan. The Bureau is conducting a retrospective review of past operations and actions under the 2007 Interim Guidelines Through this review, Reclamation intends to build a solid technical foundation that informs future consideration of operations and brings partners, stakeholders and the public to common understanding of past operations and their effectiveness. It is anticipated the review will be completed by the end of 2020. Outcome: This workshop will be a more technical companion to the main program earlier in the day. Attendees will learn more about how the Colorado River operations and planning are done. Plentiful opportunity will be provided for dialogue.