Next Steps
Implementing the SECURE Water Act has served as a catalyst for collaboration and innovation—improving our understanding of climate change impacts to water resources and our ability to address those impacts. In carrying out the assessments specified in the Act, Reclamation has developed consistent, West-wide approaches to assess climate change risks and impacts to water resources as well as tools and information applicable Reclamation-wide.
Working together with stakeholders, Reclamation has built on West-wide assessments, basin studies, and past SECURE Water Act reports to conduct site-specific analyses and identify potential strategies to improve water reliability. These analyses have also provided a foundation for collaboration across other Federal agencies, and with universities and research institutes to develop the best available science.
The next report in 2026 will build on past SECURE Water Act efforts to provide additional tools and information to support reliable water and power deliveries into the future.
2011
The 2011 report to Congress represents the first consistent and coordinated assessment of risks to future water supplies across eight major Reclamation river basins.
This report assessed climate change risks and how these risks could impact water operations, hydropower, flood control, groundwater and fish and wildlife in the western United States. It included an analysis of changes in hydroclimate variables—namely, precipitation, temperature, snow water equivalent, and streamflow.
2016
The 2016 SECURE Water Act Report included a summary of the projected hydrology and climate impacts to water supply and demand, climate monitoring, research and coordination.
The individual basin chapters incorporated information from completed basin studies, including climate impacts for various water uses, adaptation strategies and coordination activities.
2021
Similar to the 2011 and 2016 SECURE Reports, this 2021 Report includes an analysis of future temperature, precipitation, snowpack, and runoff changes developed using future hydroclimate projections across the West. This analysis provides a consistent set of information across past reports, while incorporating the best science available now.
In addition, the 2021 SECURE Report adds in important new West-wide set of information based in paleohydrology.
Looking at the past can better inform the future. For example, the drought risk framework, based in paleohydrology, will help water managers better understand natural variability and provide valuable historical context and information about the nature of droughts.
2026
Looking forward to the next SECURE Water Act Report in 2026, Reclamation will focus on expanding the analysis to include new sets of information to inform water management in the West.
Reclamation will perform a deeper analysis of pluvial (wet) periods based on the paleohydrology data sets developed for this report. Additionally, the impacts of climate change to ecological resiliency and groundwater recharge and discharge can be analyzed to better understand how these impacts can be addressed. And the latest science will be incorporated to support risk analyses that can be used to build resilience to climate change.
Beyond
Current efforts by Reclamation to develop common datasets and to make data, methodologies, and decision support tools more widely accessible across Reclamation will inform and benefit future efforts.
Improving the consistency and availability of data across Reclamation will improve our ability to assess climate change risks and impacts across the West. Reclamation also recognizes the need to explore alternative planning paradigms to consider decision-making under deep uncertainty.
The many collaborative efforts included in this report are the result of work performed by a vast network of Reclamation offices; non-Federal customers, stakeholders, and partners; and Federal agency partners. Sharing this information with Congress and the public serves as an opportunity to showcase products, tools, and information that can benefit Reclamation and our collaborators to help us be more prepared to face the challenges of tomorrow together.
Water Reliability in the West -
2021 SECURE Water Act Report