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Water and Climate Craig Cotten Division Engineer Colorado Division of Water Resources. 19 States & Mexico Rely on Colorado Water. Colorado’s Eight Major Basins. North. Platte. Yampa. /White. South Platte. Colorado. Gunnison. Arkansas. Rio Grande. San Juan/. Dolores.
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Water and ClimateCraig CottenDivision EngineerColorado Division of Water Resources
Colorado’s Eight Major Basins North Platte Yampa /White South Platte Colorado Gunnison Arkansas Rio Grande San Juan/ Dolores
West Wide Climate Risk Assessment:Upper Rio Grande Impact Assessment • Bureau of Reclamation Publication • Authored by Dagmar Llewellyn and Seshu Vaddey
Rio Grande HeadwatersRio Grande near Del Norte Conejos River near Mogote San Antonio River at Ortiz Los Pinos River near Ortiz
FINDINGS, by 2099: Flows at these sites will decrease by approximately 33% overall Peak flow will move to earlier in the year, from June to May Most flow decrease will occur from June to September
Climate Change Relatively small, gradual decrease in annual precipitation Highly variable annual precipitation amounts More frequent rainfall events – Less frequent snowfall events Warming Temps expected to diminish snowfall accumulation Warming Temps lead to increased ET, decreased runoff