A team of researchers including the CRRG’s Osvel Hinojosa-Huerta has recently published 2 studies in Ecological Engineering showing that efforts to restore riparian habitats in the delta have led to noticeably larger and more diverse bird populations. 

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The CRRG was well represented in a live PBS event broadcast from Hoover Dam (on July 24, 2024) focused on the ����ֱ�� River’s challenges.  John Fleck and Jack Schmidt were part of a line-up that also included Bruce Babbitt, JB Hamby, Mark Kelly, Karen Kwon, Pat Mulroy, Jim Lochhead, and Heather Tanana.  Video link: 

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The latest publication from the Center for ����ֱ�� River Studies looks back at the 2024 runoff season (mid-April to early July), observing that the basin netted only a modest bump in storage of 2.5 maf, a significant volume but much lower than the unusually wet 2023 season.  However, combined with effective Upper Basin strategies to limit consumptive use of last year’s abundant runoff, net basin-wide storage increased slightly year over year.

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New research from a team at the University of Wyoming (including the CRRG’s Kristi Hansen) suggests that flood irrigation in shallow alluvial aquifers can have significant economic benefits in the Upper Green by creating return flow regimes benefitting the brown trout sport fishing economy.  The work highlights the complicated site-specific relationship between efforts in agricultural water-use efficiency, and the protection of environmental and economic objectives. 

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����ֱ�� River Research Group (CRRG) members Jack Schmidt, Eric Kuhn and John Fleck submitted an “alternative” to the post-2026 EIS process entitled: “Managing the Powell/Grand Canyon/Mead ecosystem after 2026.”  In a nutshell, the alternative suggests that the Secretary of Interior be empowered to employ an adaptive management approach allowing releases from Powell to Mead to “be optimized to meet environmental, recreational, and cultural goals while retaining an interstate accounting system that still meets water-supply objectives.”

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Water Year 2023 was exceptional for runoff and for boosting reservoir storage---but it isn't likely to repeat itself for the additional 3-6 years needed to refill the reservoirs to 1999 levels (the last time they were full). We need to work to conserve the gains of WY2023, as history shows that extra storage from wet periods is generally completely consumed within two years.

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