Climate Change

2011 SECURE Water Act Report to Congress

This report assesses climate change risks and how these risks could impact water operations, hydropower, flood control, and fish and wildlife in the western United States and was submitted to Congress in 2011. The report to Congress represents the first consistent and coordinated assessment of risks to future water supplies across eight major Reclamation river basins, including the Colorado, Rio Grande and Missouri river basins.

The report, which responds to requirements under the SECURE Water Act of 2009, shows several increased risks to western United States water resources during the 21st century.

The report notes that projected changes in temperature and precipitation are likely to impact the timing and quantity of stream flows in all western basins, which could impact water available to farms and cities, hydropower generation, fish and wildlife, and other uses such as recreation.

Resources

• SECURE Water Act Report
• West-Wide Climate Risk Assessments: Bias-Corrected and Spatially Downscaled Surface Water Projections (March 2011)

Basin Reports

• Colorado River Basin
• Columbia River Basin
• Klamath River Basin
• Missouri River Basin
• Rio Grande Basin
• Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers
• Truckee River Basin

Announcements

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• Interior Releases Report Highlighting Impacts of Climate Change to Western Water Resources

  Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today released a report that assesses climate change risks and how these risks could impact water operations, hydropower, flood control, and fish and wildlife in the western United States. The report to Congress, prepared by Interior's Bureau of Reclamation, represents the first consistent and coordinated assessment of risks to future water supplies across eight major Reclamation river basins, including the Colorado, Rio Grande and Missouri river basins. Read More →