How an overlooked study over a century ago helped fuel the Colorado River crisis

That’s the take-home message from CU Boulder hydrologist Shemin Ge, who will present a little-known piece of history from the river this Thursday at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting in San Francisco.

The story of hydrologist Eugene Clyde La Rue, Ge said, may help to explain the current water crisis facing many states in the American West.

Ge’s presentation centers around a decision made in 1922, when the seven men who made up the Colorado River Commission came to an agreement to divvy…