Write a response of at least 400 words. Your response should include:
1. Make a decision and state your thesis. Provide supporting details from the reading.
2. Research the topic and give at least 2 more facts to support your decision. Don’t forget to cite your research!
3. Give your opinion. Tell what you think or feel about a certain part and why.
4. Ask a question. This can be a basic question about something you don’t understand about the situation or a larger question (about life, the environment, your world, anything) that the situation made you consider.
5. Make a connection to your own life.
6. Scroll down for the assignment.
You are living in Colorado and the state is currently experiencing a water shortage. A neighbor tells you that the state government is considering restricting water usage and raising the price of municipal (household) water. The neighbor asks you to accompany them to a water resources stakeholders meeting sponsored by the Colorado Division of Water Resources (DWR). While heading out to the meeting your neighbor explains that that state is working on a Colorado River basin contingency plan to address the continuing water shortages that may become a permanent situation. The director and state engineer for the Colorado DWR is leading the meeting, which includes a panel of stakeholders from federal, state, and local governments as well as from conservation nonprofits. He announces that the panel representatives wish to solicit stakeholder input about various strategies for dealing with the water shortage problem. The director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board predicts that hydroelectric power will no longer be able to meet electricity demands during water shortages due to the competition for water from the river basin. She says that her agency will be glad to work on any efforts to further reduce commercial and residential water usage as long as this does not provide an opportunity to expand hydroelectric power. She explains that this water crisis is also impacting wilderness areas as water is diverted from these regions, so new hydroelectric projects would further threaten wilderness areas. A representative from the Colorado Energy Office says that he cannot guarantee that his agency will not further develop hydroelectric power. He presents a graphic that shows how “hydro” still makes up only a small sector of Colorado’s alternative energy generation and argues that its expansion can benefit the state’s energy production.
Decision Point: Reducing Water Usage The panel members all agree that to ease the water crisis, residents of the region have to prioritize water usage for either hydroelectric power production or for commercial and municipal consumers. The director of the Colorado DWR says that he will announce their prioritization strategy after the panel discusses their options.
As a resident of the region, what would you do?
A: Reduce commercial and municipal water usage.
B: Reduce water usage by hydroelectric dams.