DAMMED IF YOU DO, DAMMED IF YOU DON'T: TENSIONS BETWEEN ENSURING DAM SAFETY AND MAXIMIZING COLORADO'S WATER SUPPLY

摘要

Reflecting a classic policy paradox, Colorado's dam safety policies threaten the availability of the state's long-term water supply. Recent studies indicate that Colorado water users will face water shortages that are expected to exceed 1.1 million acre-feet per year by 2050 representing a mixture of municipal, agricultural and environmental demands compounded by an increasing population and uncertainty due to predicted climate-change stresses. Increasing water availability without compromising the state's non-renewable ground water will require an expansion of Colorado's surface storage capacity to collect runoff during periods of high rainfall or snow melt. Paradoxically, at the same time that Colorado needs to expand surface storage capacity, state regulators are protecting the public from dam failures by restricting the storage capacity of many dams. This occurs when a dam is deemed unsafe and regulators require operators to lower the water level to assure public safety from a potential dam failure. This does not always enhance public safety from dam failures, and the net long-term effect is a reduction of Colorado's total storage capacity which is counterproductive to long term water supply goals. This paper explores and quantifies this contradiction in meeting the public goals of dam safety and water storage, pointing to the need for incentives to rehabilitate the storage capacity of Colorado's dams, and illustrating the potential for a market-driven storage leasing approach to enhance public safety while reducing predicted water shortages by up to 33%.