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CEAE Research Professor Edie Zagona, director of the Center for Advanced Decision Support for Water and Environmental Systems (CADSWES), and CEAE Associate Professor Joseph Kasprzyk joined the CADSWES Reclamation Colorado River modeling team in a meeting with Camille Calimlim Touton, commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), and other Department of Interior officials on Sept. 28 in Washington, D.C. 

The meeting was to provide an update on the progress of a web application that is being developed to explore alternatives for use by stakeholders in the upcoming environmental impact statement negotiations regarding new Colorado River operating policies. 

“These negotiations are essential as the current policies are set to expire in 2026,” Zagona said. “By that time, new policies must be agreed upon.”

Kasprzyk and Zagona, along with their graduate students, have been at the forefront of the research and development efforts related to decision-making under conditions of deep uncertainty, given the highly unpredictable future under climate change. Their work forms the scientific foundation for the web application and has been made possible through USBR research grants.

Zagona also briefed the officials on the 30-year collaboration between CU Boulder-CADSWES and the USBR.

“This collaboration has led to the development of essential tools and analysis capabilities utilized by the government to successfully finalize agreements with US and Mexico stakeholders,” she said. “Furthermore, many former CU Boulder graduate students have transitioned into roles as USBR scientists, and they’re leading the technical efforts of the upcoming challenging process concerning the Colorado River.”