Transcript Document 7174540

The Colorado River
Terrascope Group 1
History
 Ecology of the river in the past and in the
present
 Colorado River Compact 1922
 Past and present use – major projects along the
river
 Physical history – climate and its effect over
the last century (Link Group 2)
Flow Measurement & Distribution
 Control and measurement of flow
 Water rationing – equitable distribution (Who
gets the water?)
 Irrigation (Link Group 4)
 Diversions and canals
 Output to Mexico (What can be done about it?)
Implementation
 Legislative policies, treaties, laws (Link Group
3)
 Economic implications – financing management
(Link Group 8)
 Negative externalities – pollution/misuse
upriver negatively affecting downriver
locations
Management
 Dams (Link Group 7)
 Diversions
 Levees and embankments
 Uses of water – purification, irrigation, etc.
 Present efforts to reduce pollution – ecology of
river
Improvement & Goals for the Future
 Ensure equitable distribution of water – treaties
and legislation
 Proper management and use of water
 Reducing pollution
 Increasing sustainability
Group 2- Progress
Population and Climate Change
Tentative Timeline
• Data collection: Define and assign subtopics for
research. Gather information, build database, create
relevant graphs/charts. (2 weeks, ends on Monday Sep
29nd)
• Data analysis: implications of data, synthesis of
information under different topics, information sharing
with other groups (1 week, ends on Monday, Oct 6th)
• Specific and detailed definition of the causes/problems to
be tackled. Any additional research needed is assigned.
(2 weeks, ends on Monday, Oct 20th)
• Solution(s): Development of solution(s) for the problems
defined in the previous step. Presentation polishing, etc.
(The rest of the term)
Information-gathering Stage
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Population Trends (Past/Future) [Amanda & Ivana]
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Water used by area/region [Cat]
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Causes
Specifically: CA, TX, AZ, NV, CO, Mexico, Canada
North America as a whole
Location of population centers in west
Locations where water is not a problem (Canada/per capita water use)
Incentives to move (where has this worked?)
Water pollution as dependent on population
Other options
Effects of climate change on agriculture/irrigation [Fan]
– How much more water is needed?
– Climate change= effect on efficiency of water use
•
Changes of precipitation, changing state of reservoirs/lakes/rivers [John]
– Geographical distribution of water
•
Pollution/State of water as it reaches Mexico [Chidi]
– Acid rain
Research Highlights
• Climate Change and Agriculture
• Change in temperature/preciptation rates affects plant
distribution
• CO2 and humidity changes biological functions
• Changes in plants’ natural enemies
• Population Changes
• Population in western US has been growing steadily since
the 1880s
• Disputes over water began in the early 1800s
• Selected groundwater basins currently available to
Southern California: Raymond Basin, West Basin,
Central Basin, Main San Gabriel Basin, San Fernando
Valley, Mojave River Basin, Orange County, Chino Basin
Research Highlights
• State of water to
Mexico
• Desertification
• Caused by overirrigation, over-grazing,
or other land abuse
• Measures to prevent
desertification
developed in 1960s;
only partially successful
• 22 of the 50 largest
cities in the U.S. are
located in the desert
Desertification of North America
Group 3:
Trans-Boundary Issues
Update as of 9/18/08
Our Mission/Objectives
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Analyze current water legislation in the US,
Canada, and Mexico
Investigate water regulations that will provide
resources for the next 100+ years
Develop the most equitable/fair future water
legislation by taking into account:
Population
 Economy
 Future development
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Exploratory Research Group:
NAFTA?
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NAFTA = North American Free Trade Agreement
Removed trade and investment barriers between
Mexico, the United States, and Canada
Includes sections on both environmental and trade
issues
NAFTA and Water
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Due to geographic imbalances of water, private
companies want to sell water internationally
National legislation may prevent this- currently
disputed as to whether this is allowed under NAFTA or
not
ISSUE: Is water allowed to be sold as a privately owned
good?
Exploratory Research Group:
United States
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Focusing on the disputes across borders within the
United States.
Current legislation regulating water between state and
county borders.
The information will be used as a comparison to the
boundary disputes between nations.
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How does United States policy alter between its states and
neighboring sovereign countries?
How could current legislation infer future equitable water
distribution problems?
How can we improve current legislation?
Potential Sources
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Journal Articles
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Impact of Politics on the Colorado River Basin Water
Agreement: In-Depth Administrative Analysis by Polly
Walker
Overarching legislation governing transboundary sources of
water
El Paso County of Colorado
City of Colorado Springs, Colorado
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Local legislation on city and county water rights
Reflects the opinions of individuals in a particular area, rather
than the opinion of their representatives
Exploratory Research Group:
Mexico
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Analyze current water distribution with Mexico
Does it provide enough clean water?
 How do relations with Mexico compare with
relations with more developed countries?
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To what extent should future legislation account
for potential growth/development?
What responsibility does the US have to
encourage that growth/development?
How do border disputes affect water regulation?
Exploratory Research Group:
Canada
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Analyze current water regulation with Canada
Are there any border disputes that complicate
water distribution?
How should pollution (beginning in Canada,
then US) be managed in future legislation?
!!!
IRRIGATION
Group 4
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1. Sources of water used/how much is used (Jengroup 1, 5, 6)
2. The types of crops grown (Jen, John)
3. What's done with the water after it is used
(Megan - group 6)
4. Environmental effects (Sondra, Michelle)
5. Irrigation methods (Ashley, John)
6. How much will all of this cost??? (Tyler, Krupa group 8)
Group 5: Groundwater Reserves
(including Ogallala Aquifer)
Case study of solutions and
approaches to groundwater shortage
•India: Problem: pollution and population
Solution: rainwater harvesting and filtration during monsoon season.
Result:
higher water quality than before 1
•Yemen: Problem: fast population growth, variable rainfall, pollution, limited
alternative resource.
Solution: rainwater harvesting, surface runoff collection, improved
pumping controls, improve irrigation systems, public awareness,
desalination. 1
•Prague: Problem: over extended sewer and water distribution system
Solution: Creation of a master plan that integrates sewer and
distribution systems, so that clean water does not seep into sewer
2
1
Howard, Ken. Urban Groundwater-Meeting the Challenge . 8th ed. London: Taylor and Francis/Balkema, 2007.
2
Arsov, Roumen, Jiri Marsalek et al. Urban Water Management . Vol. 25. London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003.
system.
Natural Recharge
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Recharge is promoted by:
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Natural vegetation cover
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Flat topography
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Permeable soil
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A deep water table
Ogallala Aquifer
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Almost all water comes from rainfall
and snowmelt
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Less than 25 millimeters (1 inch)
annually
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No longer water recharge from
Rockies
Question: With very little recharge, how will the Ogallala Aquifer continue to
provide water to the West at its current usage?
Ground Water Contamination
and Water Quality
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Sources:
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Effects of Contamination:
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Water quality
Environment
Cost:
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Point sources: factories, landfills, disposal sites
Non-point sources: chemical (agricultural), runoff
Natural: sediments
Cleanup process
Prevention:
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Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act
Containment, Removal, Remediation
Group Six
Desalinization (however
you feel like spelling it)
and Sewage Treatment
ToO
Key Questions:
Economic
Viability
Desalination
Sewage Treatment
At what point and what level is the
solution profitable? Who should fund
it?
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Engineering/Tech Which existing technologies are most
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Developments
effective for a particular purpose?
How can we plan for new technologies
and their potential impacts?
Environmental
Impact/Energy
Do the advantages of not using
groundwater outweigh damage due to
energy use and plant production?
How does the increasing
amount of waste effect
ecosystems and humans?
Scalability
How do the economics and production 
levels change when scaled up or
down?
Sustainability
How long will this solution be effective 
and what are the assumptions behind
this prediction?
Improvement & Goals for the Future
• Ensure equitable distribution of water – treaties and
legislation
• Proper management and use of water
• Reducing pollution
• Increasing sustainability
Water and Energy
Group 007
Our Strategy...
Division of research into 5
subgroups
Types of fuel
Energy Trends
Technology and Research
Water Treatment
Infrastructure & Policy
Economics
➲
Pricing
West Coast: Colorado
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Colorado River
River
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Population Growth
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Irrigation
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Policies to Regulate
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Desalinization
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Points of Interest
➲ Conservation/Regulation
Environment
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H20 Supply & Demand
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Energy
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Groundwater Reserves
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Climate Change
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Groundwater Reserves  Desalination & sewage
[email protected]
treatment
[email protected]
Pricing
➲ Externalities
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Ecosystem functions
➲ Rationing
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Price (taxes and user fees)
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Quantity (permits)
➲ Current
research
Environment/Conservation
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Contamination
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Awareness and education
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Irrigation
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Biodiversity
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Population and livestock use of and
impact upon water availability
Regulation & Conservation
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Controlling water use
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Some water plan (e.g. increased rates for excess
consumption)
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Work with Pricing group
Protecting current resources
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Evaluate current federal and state laws
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Laws on usage (amount, which sources)
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Limiting damage from industry, recreation, etc
Infrastructure
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H2O Supply
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Public vs. Private
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Water sharing (Canada, Mexico)
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Current research