2020 Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum

10th Annual Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum
Coming to Terms with Limits and Uncertainty 

Keynote Speaker:  President Jonathan Nez, Navajo Nation 
Navajo Nation Water Access Challenges and Opportunities

Biography

Recording of Keynote Presentation

November 4, 6:00 – 7:00pm

                  

November 4

9:30 – 11:00  Upper Basin State and Tribal Leaders
SESSION RECORDING

Moderator: Eric Kuhn biography

• Rebecca Mitchell, Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board biography
• Steve Wolff, Administrator, Wyoming Interstate Streams Division biography
• Scott McGettigan, Interstate Streams Manager, Utah Division of Water Resources biography
• Rolf Schmidt-Petersen, Director, New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission  biography
• Daryl Vigil, Spokesperson, Ten Tribes Partnership 
• Amy Haas, Executive Director, Upper Colorado River Commission  biography

11:30 – 12:30pm  Lower Basin State Leaders
SESSION RECORDING

Moderator: John Fleck, University of New Mexico  biography

• Tom Buschatzke, Director, Arizona Department of Water Resources biography
• John Entsminger, General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority biography
• Christopher Harris, Executive Director, Colorado River Water Board of California biography
  

1:30 – 3:00pm  Potential Economic Impacts of Demand Management
SESSION RECORDING

Moderator: Nathan Perry, Colorado Mesa University  biography

• Potential socio-economic impacts of demand management, Brett Bovee, WestWater Research  biography
• Potential Secondary Impacts of Agricultural Demand Management in Western Colorado
  • Doug Jeavons for the CO Water Bank Work Group  biography  paper
  • Andy Mueller, Colorado River District and CO Water Bank Work Group biography
• Potential Regional Economic Impacts of Demand Management in Wyoming
  • Kristiana Hansen, Associate Professor, Dept. of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming biography
  • Steve Wolff, Administrator, Wyoming Interstate Streams Division  biography

 
3:30 – 5:00pm  Taking a Close Look at Upper Basin Consumptive Use Trends and Options
SESSION RECORDING

Moderator: Tim Casey, Colorado Mesa University  biography

• Land use planning strategies for improving water efficiency: How growing Colorado communities continue to increase water security and reliability despite limited supplies, John Berggren, Western Resource Advocates biography  abstract
• The great decoupling of water and growth, Brian Richter, Sustainable Waters biography  abstract  paper
• The Impact of the Retirement of Coal-Fired Power Plants on Future Consumptive Uses of Water in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Eric Kuhn biography  abstract  paper

6:00 – 7:00pm  Keynote Presentation: President Jonathan M. Nez, Navajo Nation 
SESSION RECORDING 
biography

November 5

9:00am – 10:00 Responses of Natural Systems to Changing Conditions: Sediment
SESSION RECORDING

Moderator: Gigi Richard, Four Corners Water Center, Fort Lewis College biography

• Historic Sedimentation and Projected Future Recovery of Lake Powell’s Tributary Canyons, Alan Kasprak, Fort Lewis College biography   co-author Jack Schmidt bio   abstract
• Channel Change on the Green River, Christina Leonard, University of Utah  biography   co-author Jack Schmidt bio   abstract
• Towards Practical Resilience in Urban River Corridors: Planning for Change, Joel Sholtes, Colorado Mesa University biography   abstract
  
  

10:30am – 12:00  River Modeling Tools for Assessing Risk and Making Decisions
SESSION RECORDING

Moderator: Hannah Holm, Hutchins Water Center at CMU  biography  and Alan Butler (see below)

• Bureau of Reclamation modeling approaches, Alan Butler, US Bureau of Reclamation biography
• Colorado River Risk Study, John Carron, Hydros Consulting  biography  paper (scroll down)
• Strategies for Managing the Colorado River in an Uncertain Future, Jian Wang, USU biography  paper
• Lower Basin Approaches, Colby Pellegrino, Southern Nevada Water Authority biography
  

1:00 – 2:30pm  Three Stories of Agriculture Leadership on Colorado’s Most Pressing Water Challenges panel abstract
SESSION RECORDING

Moderator: Alex Funk, Colorado Water Conservation Board biography

• Brandi Baquera, Colorado Master Irrigator  biography
• Becca Jablonski, Colorado State University biography
• Paul Bruchez, Reeder Creek Ranch  biography
• Mely Whiting, Trout Unlimited  biography

3:00 – 4:00pm  Agricultural Optimization in Utah
SESSION RECORDING

Moderator: Jim Pokrandt, Colorado River District  biography

• Agricultural Optimization Initiative overview and Depletion Accounting for Irrigation Water Rights, Niel Allen, Utah State University  biography  ag water optimization initiative
• Facing Water Problems Head-on with Real-Time Technologies, Roger Hansen  biography   co-author Amy Green biography    abstract 
• Conservancy District Perspective, Jay Humphrey, Emery Water Conservancy District Manager  biography

 
4:30 – 5:30pm  Upper Colorado Agricultural Producers’ Roundtable
SESSION RECORDING

Moderator: Luke Gingerich, J-U-B Engineers   biography

• Pat O’Toole, Little Snake River, Wyoming and Colorado and the Family Farm Alliance biography
• Kevin Cotner, Price River, Utah and the Carbon Canal Company  biography
• Martin Duncan, San Juan River Dine Water Users Association biography
• Steve Anderson, Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association biography