CRAU will discuss millennium drought’s impact on Utah at next public meeting
SALT LAKE CITY – The Colorado River Authority of Utah (CRAU) has invited the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to share a critical status update at the Authority’s board meeting next week.
WHAT: Status Update on the Current Hydrologic Conditions on the Colorado River
WHO: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Team:
- Wayne Pullan, Director, Upper Colorado Region
- Jacklynn Gould, Director, Lower Colorado Region
- Katrina Grantz, Deputy Director, Upper Colorado Region
- Stacy Wade, Deputy Director, Lower Colorado Region
- Carly Jerla, Senior Water Resources Program Manager
- Daniel Bunk, Chief of Operations, Boulder Canyon Operations Office, Lower Colorado Region
- Rick Baxter, Assistant Provo Area Office Manager
- Heather Patno, Senior Hydrologist, Upper Colorado Region
WHEN: Monday, August 30, 2021 at 9 a.m. MT
WHERE: World Trade Center: 60 East South Temple, 3rd Floor, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
August 16, 2021 – The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced a shortage beginning in 2022 that will result in the first-ever reductions from Lake Mead to the states of Arizona and Nevada, as well as to the Republic of Mexico.
The elevation at Lake Powell, which sits below the Upper Division States of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico, is forecast to fall to a critical “target elevation” as early as 2022. Powell’s elevation has dropped more than 50 feet over the past year. The reservoir is critical in ensuring that the four states’ obligations under a century-old agreement are satisfied, as well as serving as a major source of hydropower in the West.
Gene Shawcroft serves as both the Colorado River Commissioner of Utah and the CRAU Chair. He and his dedicated team of water experts at CRAU represent the State of Utah’s interests in the Colorado River and make recommendations on protecting, preserving and developing Utah’s share of the resource. In order to ensure that the Authority’s board members, water community and the public have the most currently available data and information, Commissioner Shawcroft has invited the Bureau of Reclamation’s water experts to discuss the serious hydrological conditions we are facing.
“I have never seen anything like this,” Commissioner Shawcroft said. “This is uncharted territory and it is critical that the public is informed.”
About the Colorado River Authority of Utah
Established in 2021 through landmark legislation sponsored by the Utah State House Speaker and Senate President, the Colorado River Authority of Utah seeks to protect, preserve, conserve and develop the State’s Colorado River system interests. Sixty percent of Utah’s population relies on water delivered from the Colorado River. The Authority is committed to collaborating with the six other Colorado River Basin states and planning for current and future generations of Utahns.
