WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar released a report this week that assesses climate change risks and how these risks could impact water operations, hydropower, flood control and fish and wildlife in the western United States, according to a press release.

The report to Congress, prepared by Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, represents the first consistent and coordinated assessment of risks to future water supplies across eight major Reclamation river basins, including the Colorado, Rio Grande and Missouri river basins, the release stated.

The report notes that projected changes in temperature and precipitation are likely to impact the timing and quantity of stream flows in all western basins.

“Water is the lifeblood of our communities, rural and urban economies, and our environment,” said Salazar, “and small changes in water supplies or the timing of precipitation can have a big impact on all of us. This report provides the foundation for understanding the long-term impacts of climate change on Western water supplies and will help us identify and implement appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies for sustainable water resource management.”

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