COMPLEX SYSTEMS IN FLUX:
Changing Relationships between Water, People and the Environment
November 2-3, 2016
University Center, Main Campus, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO
maps & directions
Keynote Speakers
Jack Schmidt, Professor of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University
Competing objectives for the Colorado River – water supply, hydropower, and river rehabilitation -
Can we have it all?
Tom Buschatzke, Director, Arizona Department of Water Resources
Lower Basin Drought Contingency Planning
PROGRAM
Program with Presentation Abstracts & Presenter Biographies
Presentations
(click on red text to download pdf's)
8:30 Morning Keynote: Competing objectives for the Colorado River – water supply, hydropower, and river rehabilitation -- Can we have it all?
Jack Schmidt, Professor of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University
9:25 Integrated Water Planning: addressing environmental needs along with consumptive needs
Moderator: Corey Beaugh, CO Division of Water Resources
- Crystal River Stream Management Plan, Seth Mason, Lotic Hydrological
- Addressing environmental and consumptive needs together in Wyoming, Cory Toye, Trout Unlimited
- Stream Management Planning Discussions on the North Fork of the Gunnison, Luke Gingerich, J-U-B Engineers
10:45 Emerging challenges in the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program
Moderator: Tom Chart, Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program
- Program-wide overview
Tom Chart, Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program - Colorado perspective
Harry Crockett, Colorado Parks and Wildlife - Utah perspective
Matt Breen, Utah Department of Natural Resources - Wyoming perspective
Pete Cavalli, Wyoming Game and Fish Commission
12:15 Lunch/ Poster Session
Posters
- National Water Resources Monitoring and Outlook: Meeting water managers’ needs for timely water intelligence
Michelle Stokes, NOAA Colorado Basin River Forecast Center - Grand Valley Salinity Loading to the Colorado River
Rondelle Whittle, Colorado Mesa University
1:45 River Restoration in the context of other uses
Moderator: Bruce Smith, Western Water and Land
- Conservation Planning for the Colorado River in Utah
Christine G. Rasmussen, EcoMainstream Contracting - Combining stream restoration and mine reclamation techniques to increase water quality in Colorado
Bill Coughlin, Western Stream Works - Addressing cultural and environmental needs together: Paonia River Park
Alyssa Clarida, OSMRE/VISTA, Western Slope Conservation Center
2:50 Forecasting Streamflow & reservoir conditions
Moderator: Aldis Strautins, National Weather Service
- Incorporation of a Stochastic Weather Generator to Further Inform Ensemble Streamflow Prediction in the Colorado River Basin
William Paul Miller, NOAA Colorado Basin River Forecast Center - Monitoring and forecasting reservoir sedimentation in Paonia Reservoir
Cory A. Williams, Colorado Water Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey - Advancing Drought Early Warning Capability in the Intermountain West: Bringing Arizona and New Mexico in the Fold
Alicia Marrs, NOAA National Integrated Drought Information System
4:00 Reception
Presentation: Your Dolores Photo Series – Cody Perry, Rig to Flip
November 3
8:00 Morning Keynote: Lower Basin Drought Contingency Planning
Tom Buschatzke, Director, Arizona Department of Water Resources
8:55 Balancing full development of Colorado River compact entitlements with system conservation
Moderator: John McClow, Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District
- Eric Millis, Utah Division of Water Resources
- Steve Wolff, Wyoming Interstate Streams Division
- James Eklund, Colorado Water Conservation Board
9:55 Break
10:15 Assessing and Addressing the Potential for Overdevelopment in the Upper Basin
Moderator: Eric Kuhn, Colorado River District
- West Slope Roundtable Colorado Risk Study
John Carron, Hydros Consulting - System Conservation Pilot Program in the Upper Basin
Shanti Rosset, Assistant Attorney General for Colorado - Water Banking Work Group
Aaron Derwingson, The Nature Conservancy
11:20 Demand Management in Agriculture: Potential and limitations of alternative transfer methods
Moderator: MaryLou Smith, Colorado Water Institute, Colorado State University
- Study of alternatives to buy & dry
Brad Udall, Colorado Water Institute, Colorado State University - Farmer perspective on alternatives to buy & dry
Paul Kehmeier, Eckert, CO. - Financial Analysis of alternative transfer methods on the Colorado Front Range
Brett Bovee, Westwater Research
12:20 Lunch
1:20 Demand Management in Cities: Can we conserve our way out of crisis?
Moderator: Larry Clever, Ute Water
- The Decoupling of Population Growth and Water Use Growth, Brett Walton, Circle of Blue
- Respondents:
- Mike King, Denver Water
- Scott Winter, Colorado Springs Utilities
2:25 Ethical and Cultural Considerations for Water Allocation
Moderator: Jeff Sellen, Western State Colorado University
- Utilizing Sustainability and Equity Criteria to Evaluate River Basin Decision-Making: A Case Study from the Colorado River Basin
John Berggren, University of Colorado – Boulder - Engaging Sacrificial Landscapes: Remembering a Forgotten Western River
Jonathan Bowler, University of Wyoming, Living Rivers - The Moral Algebra of 21st Century Water Development
George Sibley, Gunnison Author
3:25 Closing Remarks/ Adjourn