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WATER EDUCATION AND INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTImage: Bureau of ReclamationColorado River Basin Study collaborators receive the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Partners in Conservation Award in 2012quantified demands numerically by region and use type to follow thenarrative. In total, six demand scenarios were quantified. By the endof the study period, without action, the imbalances between waterdemand and supply have the potential to be quite large.The next phase of the study involved a public solicitation ofoptions and strategies to resolve the imbalances resulting from thesupply and demand scenarios. Through regular outreach efforts thatincluded a website, an e-mail list and routine webinar updates, thepublic and other groups not directly involved were kept apprised ofthe study progress. By the options and strategies phase, the e-maildistribution list was more than 800 addresses long. This list wasused to publicize the open solicitation and further affirmed the benefitsof outreach beyond major stakeholders. Through this process,more than 150 submissions were received, ranging from augmentationto water conservation to alternative management approaches.The submitted options were grouped, standardized where appropriate,and rated on factors such as cost, reliability and energy needs tofacilitate inter-comparison.In the final study phase – the vulnerability analysis – the CRSSmodel was used to evaluate the potential vulnerability of six resourcecategories: water deliveries, hydropower, recreation, ecologicalresources, water quality and flood control. Metrics to evaluate theseresources and associated thresholds for vulnerability were developedby seeking input from relevant stakeholders and field experts. Theassessment considered all future supply and demand combinations,first without options and then against several ‘option portfolios’. Theseportfolios represent different strategies (for example, low energy footprint)by including only options that meet certain rating criteria. Fourdistinct strategies were developed through an iterative process involvingstudy partners and stakeholders to facilitate an exploration oftrade-offs, rather than attempting to prescribe a solution.In short, the study found that in the absence of timely action toensure sustainability in the basin, there is a strong risk of shortagesin the coming decades. All of the option portfolios consideredreduced vulnerability across the six resource categories whilehelping to close the supply and demand gap. However, vulnerabilitieswere never eradicated and in some cases persisted strongly.Thus, the study sheds light on the benefits of coordinated,preventative strategies that have multi-resourcebenefits while also opening the question of acceptablelevels of risk and risk management.Following completion of the study in late 2012,Reclamation hosted a final public webinar on theInternet that drew more than 200 participants forthe approximately two-hour event. In response tostrong interest and desire for additional detail, apublic outreach effort followed. This consisted of twoworkshops in major population centres in the basin,and another webinar. All were open to the public andlasted around four hours between presentations andquestions. Despite the length and highly technicalnature of these workshops, participation numbered inthe hundreds.Recognizing the need to build on this interest andcollectively move forward, a ‘next steps’ phase has beenlaunched. Specifically, several work groups have beenchartered to advance strategies found to be cost-effectiveand provide a wide range of benefits to all waterusers. The next steps of the study aim to advance theexisting technical foundation while maintaining thesame broad, inclusive stakeholder process employedthroughout the previous three years.For the Colorado River basin, successes such asthis recent study are not possible overnight. Time andcommitment are necessary to forge the relationshipsand tools to tackle challenging issues in a complexriver basin. Tools and technical capability can quicklybecome obsolete as science and methods evolve.Stakeholder groups and staff also change, which impactsrelationships formed over time. Continued discussionand continued activity, through periods of abundantflows and periods of drought, are essential to safeguardthe future of communities, economies and ecosystemssupported by the Colorado River.[ 118 ]