Research Interests & Background
Dr. Colby鈥檚 research, teaching, and outreach focus on economic tradeoffs in water and energy management, climate change adaptation, and incentive-based agreements to improve water supply reliability for agricultural, environmental, and urban needs. Colby has provided invited testimony in her areas of expertise to state legislatures, state and federal courts, and the U.S. Congress, and has taught at Harvard University鈥檚 Kennedy School of Government Executive Training Programs. She works with western states, federal agencies, private firms, water districts, and NGOs to develop and implement new strategies to improve water supply reliability and resolve conflicts over water. Dr. Colby has authored over one hundred journal articles and eight books, including听Risk And Resilience: The Economics of Climate, Water, and Energy in the Arid Southwest;听Water Markets in Theory and Practice; and听Braving the Currents: Resolving Conflicts Over the Water of the American West. She recently was awarded the Warren Hall Medal by the Universities Council on Water Resources for distinguished contributions on water research and public service. Dr. Colby's CV can be found here.
Selected Colorado River Publications & Presentations
Publications
Colby B., Water Justice, Access and Decision-making in the Colorado River Basin, Choices: American Agricultural Economics Association 27: 2024.
Pereira*, M., B. Colby, Z. Reed-Spitzer* and L. Condon. Investigating Economic and Climate Signals in Groundwater Data, Water Economics and Policy10: 2024.
Colby, B. and Z. Reed-Spitzer*, Evaluating Institutional Success: Regional Water Agreements with Tribal Nations, Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research 14, 2024.
McGreal*, B. and B.听 Colby. Effects of Economic and Climatic Factors on Arid Agricultural Water Use, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 2023.
Colby, Bonnie G and H Hansen*, Colorado Basin Incentive-Based Urban Water Policies: Review and Evaluation, , Vol 55: 1098-1115, 2022
Colby, B., Acquiring Environmental Flows: Ecological Economics of Policy Development in Western U.S.听Ecological Economics, 2020.
*Isaaks, R., & Colby, B.听Empirical Application of Rubinstein Bargaining Model In Western U.S. Water Transactions.听Water Economics and Policy听6, 2020.
Ryan Young, Bonnie Colby and Gary Thompson 鈥淭ribal Water Rights, Community Economies, and Adaptive Water Institutions in the Western United States鈥� Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2019 Copyright 漏 2020 doi: 10.5325/naturesopolirese.9.1.0074
Colby, B. (2020). Acquiring environmental flows: ecological economics of policy development in western U.S. Ecological Economics, 173, [106655].
Isaaks, R., & Colby, B. (2020). Empirical application of rubinstein bargaining model in western u.s. water transactions. Water Economics and Policy, 6(1), [1950010].
Colby, B. and R. Isaaks, Water Trading: Adaptation, Innovations and Modeling, Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education, Volume165, Issue1 Pages 76-88, 2019.
Colby, Bonnie, and Rowan Isaaks.听 2018.听 鈥淲ater Trading: Innovations, Modeling Prices, Data Concerns.鈥� Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education. December.
Colby, Bonnie, and Ryan Young.听 2018.听 鈥淭ribal Water Settlements: Economic Innovations for Addressing Water Conflicts.鈥澨� Western Economic Forum. Vol. 16, issue no. 1.
Deol, Suhina, and Bonnie Colby. 2018. 鈥淭ribal Economies: Water Settlements, Agriculture, and Gaming in the Western U.S.鈥� Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education. Issue 163, April.
Kerna, A., B. Colby, and F. Zamora. 2017. 鈥淰aluing Environmental Flows in Mexico鈥檚 Colorado River Delta.鈥� Water Economics and Policy.
Bonnie Colby.听 2016.听 鈥淲ater Linkages beyond the Farm Gate: Implications for Agriculture.鈥澨� Federal Reserve Bank Economic Review, November.
Hanak, Ellen, Brian Gray, Jeffrey Mount, Kurt Schwabe, Timothy Bradley, Bonnie Colby, Douglas Kenney, Josu茅 Medell铆n-Azuara, and Jean-Daniel Saphores.听 2016.听 "California's Water: The Colorado River."听 Public Policy Institute of California Policy Briefing Paper.听 October.
Colby, Bonnie.听 2016. 鈥淲ater Trading Innovations: Reducing Agricultural Consumptive Use to Improve Adaptation to Scarcity.鈥� In: Competition for Water Resources: Experiences and Management Approaches in the US and Europe, Jadwiga Ziolkowska and Jeffrey Peterson (editors).
Duval, Dari, and Bonnie Colby.听 2016. 鈥淭he influence of Colorado River flows on the upper Gulf of California fisheries economy.鈥� Ecological Engineering.
Colby, Bonnie.听 2016. 鈥淒eveloping System Conservation Programs: A Guide For The Bureau Of Reclamation And Partner Organizations.鈥澨� Report to U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Colby, Bonnie, George Frisvold and Matthew Mealy. 2015. 鈥淩eallocating Climate Risks Through听Water Trading.鈥澨� In: Handbook of Water Economics, James Roumasset (editor).听 Springer-Verlag.
Colby, B. and Frisvold, G.听听 2011.听 Adaptation and Resilience: The Economics of Climate, Water and Energy Challenges in the American Southwest.听 Washington: Resources for the Future Press.
Colby, B. and R. Bark.听 2009.听 Inter-sectoral Water Trading as a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, in Water Resources Planning and Management, chapter 41 (edited by Q. Grafton and K. Hussey).听 Cambridge University Press.
Colby, B., and K.L. Jacobs (editors).听 2006.听 Arizona Water Policy: Management Innovations in an Urbanizing, Arid Region.听 Washington: Resources for the Future Press.
Colby, B.G., J. Thorson, and S. Britton.听 2005.听 Negotiating Tribal Water Rights: Fulfilling Promises in the Arid West. University of Arizona Press.
Presentations
鈥淭ribal Water Settlements: Economic Innovations for Addressing Water Conflicts鈥� as part of a Symposium Series, University of Arizona, April, 2020.
鈥淩obust Reservation & Regional Economies: The Role Of Water,鈥� at the Annual Summit: Native Waters Arid Lands.听 Reno, NV; October 2019.
鈥淣avigating Water Markets and Water Transfers鈥� at the Colorado River Conversations: Integrating Science and Identifying Solutions conference. Tucson, AZ; October 28, 2019.
鈥淲ater and Regional Economies: Water Agreements Between Tribes and Cities鈥� (with Ryan Young) at the Arizona Community Forum. Tucson, AZ; December 6, 2018.
鈥淚nnovations in Water Transactions and Management鈥� at the Native Waters on Arid Lands, Fourth Annual Tribal Summit.听 Reno NV; October 16, 2018.
鈥淔rom the Courthouse to the Marketplace: Striving for Sustainability in the Edwards Aquifer.鈥澨� University of Colorado.听 Boulder, CO; June 7, 2018.听
鈥淭ribal Economies: Water Settlements, Agriculture, and Gaming鈥� (with Suhina Deol) at the Universities Council on Water Resources Workshop. May 2018
鈥淓valuating Environmental Water Acquisitions in the Context of Regional Climate Challenges鈥� at the Southwest Climate Symposium. Tucson, AZ; April 2018.
鈥淲ater Transactions: Innovations, Bargaining Power, & Recent Trends鈥� (with Rowan Isaaks) at the Arizona Water Resources Research Annual Conference.听 Tucson, AZ; March 28, 2018.
鈥淭ribal Water Management and Risk-sharing Innovations鈥� (with Ryan Young) at the Arizona Water Resources Research Annual Conference.听 Tucson, AZ; March 28, 2018.
鈥淲ater and Energy Economics in the 21st Century鈥� at the Thomas R. Brown Foundation Symposium.听 Tucson, AZ; March 2018.
鈥淔arms, Economic Tradeoffs and the Federal Farm Program Implications for Water鈥� at the Public Policy Institute of California Annual Meeting.听 San Francisco, CA; January 2017.
鈥淓conomic Criteria for Evaluating Environmental Water Transaction Programs.鈥澨� National Center for Environmental Analysis and Synthesis, University of California. Santa Barbara, CA; February 1, 2017.
鈥淔arms, Economic Tradeoffs and the Federal Farm Program Implications for Water.鈥澨� Public Policy Institute of California Annual Meeting.听 San Francisco, CA; January 2017.
鈥淒eveloping a Framework for Evaluating Regional Water Trading.鈥澨� Public Policy Institute of California Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA; January 2017.
鈥淓conomic Aspects of Tribal Water Management and Settlement Negotiations.鈥澨� University of Arizona. Tucson, AZ; November 2016.
鈥淢odeling the Southwestern U.S. Water and Power Interconnected Systems鈥� (with Hwee Hwang and Kevin Lansey).听 University of Arizona, Water Resources Research Center workshop.听 Tucson, AZ; November 2016.
鈥淢anaging Drought Risks Through Water Banks: Who Pays and Who Benefits?鈥� New Mexico Water Institute Annual Conference. Silver City, NM; October 6, 2016.听
鈥淭rading Water, Money and Risk to Achieve Environmental Benefits.鈥� Water Funders Workshop. Boulder, CO; August, 2016.
鈥淲ater Linkages Beyond the Farm Gate: Implications for Agriculture.鈥� Federal Reserve Bank Conference.听 Kansas City, MO; July 11, 2016.
鈥淣ew Era of Water Banking and Refined Water Accounting.鈥澨� Annual conference of the Getches-Wilkinson Center, University of Colorado.听 Boulder, CO; June 11, 2015.听
鈥淭rading Water and Money to Manage Economic Risk During Shortage.鈥澨� New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute, Workshop on Water Banking in the Lower Rio Grande. Las Cruces, NM; November 12, 2015.
鈥淚nnovations in Water Banking to Improve Supply Resilience.鈥� Water Management Strategies for Addressing Long-Term Drought and Climate Uncertainty. Salt Lake City, UT; October 28, 2015.