Arwen H's Senior Project Blog

Project Title: Us vs. Dead Pool: Investing in the Fight to Save the Colorado River BASIS Advisor: Matt Winter Internship Location: Independent Project Onsite Mentor: Kathryn Sorenson

Project Abstract

Over 40 million people rely on the Colorado River as their main source of water (The Nature Conservancy, n.d.). However, if water levels continue to drop at their current rate, that won’t always be the case. The inevitable fate of the Colorado River seems to be dead pool, a phenomenon where the water levels in the main reservoirs of the river are so low that water can no longer flow to the people who need it. As an ongoing response to this, the U.S. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched the Water-Saving Commodities program which invested $400 Million dollars in helping farmers continue production while conserving water. However, just because money is flowing in, it doesn’t mean progress is being made. Many studies have found that water “conservation” methods actually lead to more water flowing out of the basin. If dead pool is going to be prevented, the money needs to be followed. In collaboration with Dr. Kathryn Sorensen, this is exactly what I am doing. I am analyzing official USDA, Farm Service Agency, and irrigation district documents to determine if the program meets the criteria needed for a water conservation program to be successful. These criteria were found by prior research and will allow me to complete a formative evaluation of the program overall and predict its future effectiveness. Through this, I hope to reveal whether the millions of dollars being put towards conserving water will help (or hinder) preventing dead pool. This is crucial in aiding policymakers to take future steps in our fight against the impending future of the Colorado River. The Nature Conservancy. (n.d.). Colorado River Basin.