Understanding how to manage scarce water during drought is one of the great challenges we face as a society, particularly for communities in the Rio Grande Basin. Severe drought coupled with human development have profoundly impacted the quantity and quality of water in the basin. Running through Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico, the Rio Grande is a multi-national resource that is managed by many different state, federal, and local authorities and used by diverse stakeholders. Developing the basin-wide responses necessary for drought resilience throughout the Basin can be challenging in such a complex management context.
This project seeks to understand how different human and environmental factors affect ten sections of the Rio Grande in order to identify how management strategies and human uses of the river can be better coordinated. The end product will be a tool allowing stakeholders to examine the costs and benefits of their decisions for themselves and for upstream and downstream users. Overall, the results of this research will help stakeholders improve future drought resilience and facilitate the sustainable use of water resources throughout the Basin.
