Lots of water projects on Day 1 traveling through 3 states (CA, AZ, NV). Traveled along the lower Colorado River from Needles, Laughlin, Davis Dam and just downstream of Hoover Dam. What a way to start the trip! Looking forward to talking to water leaders in Nevada tomorrow.

Had great discussions with people in Southern Nevada making important decisions on water from SNWA, Reclamation and DRI. Great to see some UNLV graduates and to be joined by Chapman student Rama Bedri. A lot of creative solutions and cooperation being used to address the drought and manage low reservoir levels. Topped the day off with my favorite Mayor Debra March and seeing the LV Aces set records in their win!

Always impressive to see the massive turbines inside Hoover Dam that generate clean power for the southwest. At the same time, concerning to see the low lake level in Lake Mead. Fortunately, the Colorado River has almost 60 million acre-ft of storage to sustain long periods of drought. What I heard yesterday is that we need to continue to be aggressive with conserving as the future is uncertain. Ended the day at Grand Canyon and reminded of the power that the Colorado River has in carving out the huge canyon (10 miles wide and 277 miles long) that is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

Well for you water geeks, today was exciting as we went to Lees Ferry which is an important gaging station at the dividing point of the Upper and Lower Colorado River Basin. It is an historic location where people used to be ferried across the river before Navajo Bridge was built. Lots of activity now with tourists, river rafters, hikers and fishers. We also went to the other major reservoir in the basin, Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. Absolutely beautiful terrain and low lake levels similar to Lake Mead (both around 30% capacity). Started the day talking with Tony Merriman who is a Hydrologist with National Weather Service in Flagstaff. They are working hard with stakeholders including tribal communities and National Park Service on warning systems, both for extreme rainfall and extreme heat.

Met some great people today involved in managing water in western Colorado! Max Schmidt was a wealth of knowledge and experience and gave us a great tour of an important 4.5 MW hydropower/pumping plant in the Orchard Mesa Irrigation District in Palisade. Dave “DK” Kanzer and Amy Moyer met with us to talk about how Colorado River District are working hard for water security of users on the western slopes of Colorado. We were able to follow the beautiful Colorado River all day from Moab in the morning, to Grand Junction, and Glenwood Springs/Canyon. Finished up the day at Dillon Reservoir that serves the eastern slopes of Colorado including much of the Denver area.

In Denver area all day meeting with various experts and seeing cool labs! Levi Brekke and Ken Nowak at Reclamation TSC showed the labs that are modeling infrastructure like San Joaquin Mendota Pool Bypass and Oroville Spillway, and a 5-million Pound Universal Testing Machine! Great to hear the perspective from those at Reclamation taking on the major water issues. Greg Thompson and Denver Water are leaning into climate issues used in scenario planning to provide secure water. Finally, nice to see longtime colleague, Balaji Rajagopalan (UC Boulder) and his insight into new paradigms used in water management.

Just a fun day in Boulder! Went to NCAR which is has great views of the Flatirons and Boulder, and an interesting building designed by IM Pei. Downtown Boulder was busy with the Farmers Market and Arts Festival. Was nice to have a relaxing day along Boulder Creek since my travel partner Isabella was flying home tonight. The sobering part of the day was driving by the burn areas in Superior where many homes were lost earlier this year. It reminds us of how changing climate can impact lives in a dramatic way. Prayers for all the people of Superior.

Completed the track up the Colorado River Headwaters! Had help of some hiker buddies I met on the trail (Hannah and Inga) who I am grateful for convincing me that the tracks on the trail were moose NOT bears. Amazing to see the change in the Colorado from the lower stretch in California to the beginnings in the Rocky’s. And a bonus, I captured a mouse in the Colorado River! Weather was wild today with rain, snow, and sleet! Finally, another sobering site of major fire burns in Rocky Mt. Nat Park. Seen a lot of this on the trip so far.

Day 9 (5/30) – Experienced the impressive power of water at Flaming Gorge Dam with 8600 CFS (full powerplant plus bypass) being released to help fill Lake Powell and Lake Mead. All of this into Green River flowing into Colorado River and an important source of water Upper Basin. Along the way, I met so many amazing people. Mike and Jennifer at Flaming Gorge and shared their Colorado views on water, David and Bonnie who are locals from Green River and pointed out an eagle on the river, and honeymooners Jackie and Chayah in Salt Lake City!

Spent the morning with the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (Paul Miller and Michelle Stokes) providing valuable hydrologic forecasts to 470 points every day from models, observations and new sources of data like remotely sensing snow coverage. The visual representation of the drought is seen visiting the Great Salt Lake. At an all time low (1 foot of drop exposes 150 square miles of lake bed) impacting surrounding environment and local businesses. Ended day in Reno along Truckee running through the middle of the city.

Back in California! Had a great tour of Shasta Dam by Tami Corn (Reclamation) who provided many water facts and history. 350 ft wide dam used for flood control, water supply, hydropower and environmental flows. Currently at 40% capacity. Saw an interesting fish ladder on the Feather River (downstream Oroville Dam) to maintain salmon population. Jeanine Jones (CA Dept Water) shared her wealth of knowledge of water issues. Finally, great to see former PhD student Anil Acharya his work with Army Corp of Engineers.

Sunset over the Sacramento San Joaquin Bay-Delta! Explored the complex water systems of the Sacramento, American River Folsom Dam and Bay-Delta with experts. Kristin White and David Mooney (Reclamation) gave a wonderful perspective of multiple uses (e.g., environmental, agricultural, power, water supply, flood control, recreation) of water in the system. Michael Anderson and Karla Nemeth (CA Dept of Water Resources) shared the new technologies (e.g., FIRO) used in addressing changes in water extremes (flood and droughts).

Day 13 (June 3) – Trip completed! Drove 4328 miles through CA, NV, AZ, UT, CO, WY and CA. Visited 6 major rivers with at least 10 major reservoirs serving Colorado River Basin and all of California. Met lots of great people who shared their views on water in the west! On the last day, met longtime colleague Camilla Saviz (Univ. of Pacific) and able to follow the CA State Water Project serving important agricultural areas and bringing water to Southern California. Gained good perspective on water in the west and looking forward to putting this to use.

Extended the Water Road trip yesterday and went to the important agriculture regions of the southwest to visit Paleo Verde Irrigation District (thanks Burt, J.R., and Victor), Yuma (to see where Colorado River exits US to Mexico), Imperial Valley (impressive American Canal moving water from Colorado River), and the Salton Sea. Gained a good perspective on the role agriculture, how water is used for maintaining a secure food supply, and the required infrastructure to move large quantities of water from the Colorado River.