New framework and Web App for finding robust policies for the Colorado River Basin
A recent publication, “Interactive and Multimetric Robustness Tradeoffs in the Colorado River Basin” introduces a novel, interactive framework for stakeholders to identify policies robust to challenging climate futures.
Published in the ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, December 30, 2023, the paper demonstrates the framework with a case study on reservoir operations in the Colorado River Basin using an open-access web tool created by authors Nathan Bonham, Joseph Kasprzyk, Edith Zagona, & Rebecca Smith.
This paper is one product of an enduring collaboration between CU’s Center for Advanced Decision Support for Water and Environmental Systems (CADSWES), and the Bureau of Reclamation to produce novel methods and tools for Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty.  The framework, case study, and web tool presented in this research catalyzed many aspects of another web tool Reclamation has since developed in partnership with Virga Labs and CU Boulder, which is being used by stakeholders, Reclamation, and other governmental and nongovernmental agencies for early-stage exploration of operational strategies for the post-2026 NEPA process.
“We are excited about the positive impacts this research and ongoing efforts are having in the Colorado River Basin, and we are hopeful this research will be impactful far beyond the Basin’s boundaries,” says lead author and App inventor, Nathan Bonham.