FED Report Assesses Western Water Deficits, Makes Recommendations

 An extensive report on the growing threats posed to the Colorado River system by climate change, drought, and increasing population is scheduled to be released Feb. 21, 2007, by the National Academies' National Research Council.

The committee preparing the report is expected to both analyze the predicament (in part through an improved understanding of long-term water levels in the watershed), and make recommendations for resolving it. The findings - which are being released about six months later than initially scheduled - are also expected to be useful for other western US watersheds ("Colorado River Basin Water Management: Evaluating and Adjusting to Hydroclimatic Variability," Bill Kearney, 202-334-2144).

The report's release should be available here. Details on the committee and its assignment are available here.