New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission

The goal of this project is to define the ecosystem water needs of the upper Gila River in New Mexico and to evaluate the probable ecological impacts of a diversion proposed under the Arizona Water Settlements Act, New Mexico Unit, considering existing conditions and changing climate. The CLIMAS portion of this project will develop and evaluate climate and hydrological change projections needed by project ecologists, biologists, and hydrologists to evaluate potential impacts of change on hydrological and ecological processes. The research was completed in July 2014, with publication of a report (described below). However, because the research and report are part of ongoing New Mexico policy discussions, there is need for follow-up with responses to critique and efforts to publish in a peer-reviewed journal.

Persistent drought and climate change affect water and energy costs, and hence choices made by farms, cities and industrial water and energy users, as well as energy and water providers’ operations. This project examines potential climate change and variability adaptation strategies related to water and energy in the Colorado River and Rio Grande Basins, including northwestern Mexico. Researchers are investigating how climate influences the market price of water and developing a menu of water and energy supply reliability tools with guidelines for using these tools.