SUPPLY AND DEMAND STUDY PROJECTS WATER IMBALANCE

摘要

When the waters of the Colorado River were apportioned between the Upper and Lower Basins in the 1922 Colorado River Compact, the Basin had experienced many high-flow years in the previous decade. The result was an apportioned amount that does not reflect the river's current long-term annual yield. Since the early 1950s, there have been several years when the annual water use in the Colorado River Basin has exceeded the yield. Owing to the fact that the Upper Basin has not fully developed their apportionments under the Compact and the system's ability to store approximately 60 million acre-feet, or nearly four years of the long-term average natural flow, virtually all requested deliveries continue to be met. As demand for Colorado River water continues to grow and the future yield of the river is threatened by the impacts of a changing climate, the ability of the river to meet those demands is called into question.