Upper Colorado River Basin

About

Drought and aridification are affecting almost every river system in the western United States, but the 1,450-mile Colorado River is one of the most impacted. For the past 25 years, Colorado River water use has greatly exceeded natural flows—draining the nation’s two largest reservoirs and precipitating a crisis across the basin.

While immediate, temporary reductions may help address the crisis in the near term, The Freshwater Trust (TFT) is focused on deploying funds in ways that build long-term drought resilience and enable people and nature to adapt to a future with less water.

TFT’s analytics are helping the largest water districts and irrigation companies in the Upper Basin modernize irrigation systems and build better conservation programs in the face of drought. These tools are guiding water protection efforts by one of the oldest agricultural land trusts in the country. They are showing communities how they can reduce river temperatures and protect fisheries in the face of diminished flows with targeted restoration efforts. With each new partner, TFT’s coordinated, outcomes-based approach is helping achieve multiple objectives: sustaining farms, ranches, and rural economies; enhancing river flows; improving water quality; and preserving habitat.