1. Be proactive in addressing variable hydrologic conditions in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
2. Assess methods to protect Wyoming water users from “hard” regulation in times of severe drought or basin curtailment. Temporary, voluntary and compensated conservation.
Determining the feasibility of an Upper Basin Demand Management (DM) program will require assessment of many outstanding issues; some internally to each State and some regionally throughout the Upper Basin. The questions to be considered with each state's stakeholders is whether a DM program should be developed. Secondarily, the questions surrounding the feasibility of program development include:
(1) whether a DM program is possible given the technical, legal, and policy challenges to address in each State and within the Basin;
This process will engage stakeholders and water management decision makers to look critically at the need for a DM program in Wyoming’s Colorado River basin (the Green and Little Snake River Basins). Between September 2019 and December 2020 we will hold a series of community meetings and focus groups in the Green and Little Snake River Basins. The specific objectives are to:
(a) Develop an environment and format for water users and stakeholder communities and decision makers (water users, managers and communities) to discuss and share detailed information and ideas regarding the feasibility of a DM program in Wyoming.
(b) Explore the suite of outstanding issues related to a potential DM program in Wyoming to help inform the State’s efforts.