In an effort to prevent the Colorado River from falling to critically low levels and to end months-long negotiations, the federal government laid out its proposal this week to cut water allotments, as part of its draft analysis, which would reduce the water delivered to California, Arizona and Nevada. According to The New York Times, “overuse and a 23-year-long drought made worse by climate change have threatened to provoke a water and power catastrophe across the West.”
If you would like more context on this matter, please consider Caitlin Grady, assistant professor of engineering management and systems engineering at the George Washington University. Grady studies the form and functions of interconnected infrastructure across water, food, and energy systems. Her research seeks to combine network models, socio-technical data, and ethical-epistemic analyses to create a more sustainable and secure environment. Grady’s areas of expertise also include adaptation to climate change, hydropower and the U.S. electricity grid, and critical infrastructure.
Grady can speak to the situation at the Colorado River, how it impacts hydropower and as it relates to broader 'competing uses’ relating to the negotiations. She can also discuss the interconnections across needs for water, food, and energy in the Colorado basin.
If you would like to speak with Professor Grady, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].
-GW-
