About Us

The Western Water Assessment (WWA) is a university-based applied research program that addresses societal vulnerabilities to climate variability and climate change, particularly those related to water resources. While we are based in Boulder, Colorado, we work across the Intermountain West—Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.

Our mission is to conduct innovative research in partnership with decision makers in the Rocky Mountain West, helping them make the best use of science to manage for climate impacts.

The WWA team is comprised of researchers in multiple disciplines—climatology, hydrology, ecology, social sciences, and law—at the University of Colorado-Boulder and several other institutions in the region. We work directly with stakeholders such as water managers to articulate research questions, and ensure that the research products will be usable in their planning and decision-making processes. Ultimately, our goal is to improve societal preparedness for climate variability and climate change.

We are part of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Our primary source of funding is NOAA’s Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) Program, and we are one of 10 RISA teams operating across the U.S.

In addition to conducting research projects, we produce synthesis and assessment products to make existing knowledge more accessible to stakeholders, such as the 2014 WWA report Climate Change in Colorado for the Colorado Water Conservation Board. WWA also makes accessible real-time climate information in our Intermountain West Climate Dashboard and other products. In providing useful products for our stakeholders in our region, we also serve to prototype, for NOAA, the delivery of regional climate services.