Books and Reports
Rivers for Life: Managing Water for People and Nature. By Sandra Postel and Brian Richter, 2003. Island Press, Washington DC
Chasing Water: A Guide for Moving from Scarcity to Sustainability. By Brian Richter, 2014. Island Press, Washington DC. Published five languages.
Sustainable Groundwater Management for Agriculture. By Brian Richter and Melissa Ho. 2022. World Wildlife Fund, Washington DC.
Richter, B. 2016. Water Share: Using water markets and impact investment to drive sustainability. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington VA.
A.C. Horne, J.A. Webb, M.J. Stewardson, M. Acreman, and B. Richter, eds. 2017. Water for the Environment: From Policy and Science to Implementation and Management. Elsevier, London.
Harwood, A., Johnson, S., Richter, B., Locke, A., Yu, X. and Tickner, D. 2017. Listen to the river: Lessons from a global review of environmental flow success stories, WWF-UK, Woking, UK
Richter, B.D., E.M. Powell, T. Lystash, and M. Faggert. 2016. Protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems. Chapter 5 in Miller, Kathleen A., Alan F. Hamlet, Douglas S. Kenney, and Kelly T. Redmond (Eds.) Water Policy and Planning in a Variable and Changing Climate. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press – Taylor & Francis Group.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles, Lead Authorship
Richter, B.D., G. Lamsal, L.Marston, S. Dhakal, L. Singh Sangha, R.R. Rushforth,D. Wei, B.L. Ruddell, K.F. Davis, A. Hernandez-Cruz, S. Sandoval-Solis, and J.C. Schmidt. New water accounting reveals why the Colorado River no longer reaches the sea. Communications Earth & Environment 5, 134. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01291-0
Richter, B.D., E. Prunes, N. Liu, P. Caldwell, D. Wei, K.F. Davis, S. Sandoval-Solis, G.R. Herrera, R.S. Rodriguez, Y. Ao, G. Lamsal, M. Amaya, N. Shahbol. (2023) Opportunities for Restoring Environmental Flows in the Rio Grande–Rio Bravo Basin Spanning the US–Mexico Border. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management 150(2) https://doi.org/10.1061/JWRMD5.WRENG-6278
Richter, B.D., Y. Ao, G. Lamsal, D. Wei, M. Amaya, L. Marston & Davis, K.F. Alleviating water scarcity by optimizing crop mixes. Nature Water. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-023-00155-9
Richter, B.D. 2023. Decoupling urban water use from population growth in the Colorado River Basin. Journal of Water Planning and Management 149(2) https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/JWRMD5.WRENG-5887
Richter, B.D., K. Benoit, J. Dugan, G. Getacho, N. LaRoe, B. Moro, T. Rynne, M. Tahamtani, and A. Townsend. 2020. Decoupling urban water use and growth in response to water scarcity. Water 2020:12, https://doi.org/10.3390/w12102868
Richter, B.D., D. Bartak, P. Caldwell, K.F. Davis, P. Debaere, A. Y. Hoekstra, T. Li, L. Marston, R. McManamay, M.M. Mekonnen, B. Ruddell, R.R. Rushforth, and T.J. Troy. 2020. Water scarcity and fish imperilment driven by beef production is leading contributor to water scarcity and fish imperilment. Nature Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1038/S41893-020-0483-Z
Richter, B.D., S. Andrews, R. Dahlinghaus, G. Freckmann, S. Ganis, J. Green, I. Hardman, M. Palmer, and J. Shalvey. 2019. Buy me a river: purchasing water rights to restore river flows in the Western USA. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12808
Richter, B.D., M.E. Blount, C. Bottorff, H. Brooks, A. Demmerle, B. Gardner, H. Herrmann, M. Kremer, T. Kuehn, E. Kulow, L. Lewis, H. Lloyd, C. Madray, C. Mauney, B. Mobley, S. Stenseth, and W. Strick. 2018. Assessing the sustainability of urban water supply systems. Journal of the American Water Works Association, February 2018, Denver.
Richter, B.D., J.D. Brown, R. DiBenedetto, A. Gorsky, E. Keenan, C. Madray, M. Morris, D. Rowell, and S. Ryu. 2017. Opportunities for saving and reallocating agricultural water to alleviate scarcity. Water Policy, Available Online 5 April 2017, wp2017143; DOI: 10.2166/wp.2017.143
Richter, B. 2016. Water Share: Using water markets and impact investment to drive sustainability. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington VA.
Richter, B.D., D Abell, E Bacha, K Brauman, S Calos, A Cohn, C Disla, S Friedlander O’Brien, D Hodges, S Kaiser, M Loughran, C Mestre, M Reardon, and E Siegfried. 2013. Tapped out: how can cities secure their water future? Water Policy 15 (2013) 335–363.
Richter, B.D., M. Davis, C. Apse, and C. Konrad. A presumptive standard for environmental flow protection. River Research and Applications 28 (2012): 1312-1321.
Richter, B.D., S. Postel, C. Revenga, T. Scudder, B. Lehner, A. Churchill, and M. Chow. Lost in development’s shadow: the downstream human consequences of dams. 2010. Water Alternatives 3(2): 14-42.
Richter, B.D., K. Williams, and P. Aarrestad. 2009. Featured collection on instream flows – recent advances and the road ahead. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 45: 1069-1070.
Richter, B. 2008. Sustaining the Flow of the World’s Rivers Journal of the American Water Works Association, February 2008, pgs. 26-31.
Richter, B. D. and G. A. Thomas 2007. Restoring Environmental Flows by Modifying Dam Operations. Ecology and Society 12 (1): 12. [online] URL:http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol12/iss1/art12/
Richter, B. 2007. Blue Water Awards: Recognizing Utilities that Protect the Environment. Journal of the American Water Works Association, April 2007, pgs. 52-54.
Richter, B. 2007. Meeting Urban Water Demands While Protecting Rivers: A Case Study from the Rivanna River, Virginia. Journal of the American Water Works Association, June 2007, pgs. 24-26.
Richter, B.D., A.T. Warner, J.L. Meyer, and K. Lutz. 2006. A collaborative and adaptive process for developing environmental flow recommendations. River Research and Applications 22: 297-318.
Richter, Brian, Richard Roos-Collins, and Andrew Fahlund. 2005. A framework for ecologically sustainable water management. Hydro Review, July 2005: 84-90.
Richter, Brian and Sandra Postel. 2004. Can we save earth’s rivers? Issues in Science and Technology 20/3: 31-36.
Richter, B.D., R. Mathews, D.L. Harrison, and R. Wigington. 2003. Ecologically sustainable water management: managing river flows for ecological integrity. Ecological Applications 13:206-224.
Richter, B.D. and H.E. Richter. 2000. Prescribing flood regimes to sustain riparian ecosystems along meandering rivers. Conservation Biology 14:1467-1478.
Richter, B.D. and K.H. Redford. 1999. The art (and science) of the deal between conservation and use. Conservation Biology 13:1235-1237.
Richter, B.D. 1999. Characterizing hydrologic regimes in ecologically meaningful terms. Stream Notes, January 1999. Stream Systems Technology Center, US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Richter, B.D., J.V. Baumgartner, D.P. Braun, and J. Powell. 1998. A spatial assessment of hydrologic alteration within a river network. Regulated Rivers 14:329-340.
Richter, B.D., D.P. Braun, M. A. Mendelson, and L.L. Master. 1997. Threats to imperiled freshwater fauna. Conservation Biology 11:1081-1093.
Richter, B.D., J.V. Baumgartner, R. Wigington, and D.P. Braun. 1997. How much water does a river need? Freshwater Biology 37:231-249.
Richter, B.D., J.V. Baumgartner, J. Powell, and D.P. Braun. 1996. A method for assessing hydrologic alteration within ecosystems. Conservation Biology 10:1163-1174.
Richter, B.D. and J. Powell. 1996. Simple hydrologic models for use in floodplain research. Natural Areas Journal 16:362-366.
Richter, B.D. 1993. Ecosystem-level conservation at The Nature Conservancy: growing needs for applied research in conservation biology. Journal of North American Benthological Society 12(2):197-200.
Richter, B.D. and H.E. Richter. 1992. Development of groundwater and ecological models for protecting a southwestern riparian ecosystem. First Intl. Conf. on Ground Water Ecology. USEPA/AWRA. April 1992.
Richter, B.D. 1987. The American wetlands: genesis and purity in the swamps. American Land Forum.
Richter, B.D. 1987. Community erosion control programs for water quality improvement. Public Works Magazine.
Richter, B.D. and J.T. Kircher. 1984. A summary of basin and streamflow characteristics for selected basins in western Colorado and adjacent states. USGS Open File Report 84-137.
Peer-Reviewed Publications, Co-Authorships:
Troy, T.J., L.C. Bowling, S.A. Jame, C.I. Lee, J. Liu, C. Perry, and B.D. Richter. 2023. Envisioning a sustainable agricultural water future across spatial scales. Environmental Research Letters 18 085003
Debaere, P., B.D. Richter, K.F. Davis, M.S. Duvall, J.A. Gephart, C.E. O’Bannon, C. Pelnik, E.M. Powell, and T.W. Smith. 2014. Water markets as a response to scarcity. Water Policy, in press.
Hoekstra, A.Y, M.M. Mekonnen, A.K. Chapagain, R.E. Mathews, and B.D. Richter. 2011. Global monthly water scarcity: blue water footprints versus blue water availability. PLoS ONE 7(2): e32688. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0032688
Fingerman, K.R., G. Berndes, S., B.D. Richter, and P. Vugteveen. Impact assessment at the bioenergy-water nexus. Biofuels, Bioprod. Bioref. 5:375–386.
Aldous, A., J. Fitzsimons, B. Richter, and L. Bach. Droughts, floods, and freshwater ecosystems: evaluating climate change impacts and developing adaptation strategies. Marine and Freshwater Research 62: 223-231.
Watts, R.J., B.D. Richter, J.J.Oppermann, K.H. Bowmer. Dam re-operation as a freshwater climate change adaptation and conservation measure. Marine and Freshwater Research 62: 321-327.
Poff, N. and Richter, B. 2012. Water Resources and Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems: A Vision for 2050. Toward a Sustainable Water Future, Chapter 19, pp. 175-186. doi: 10.1061/9780784412077.ch19
Opperman, J.J., G.E. Galloway, J. Fargione, J.F. Mount, B.D. Richter, and S. Secchi. 2009. Sustainable floodplains through large-scale reconnection to rivers. Science 325:1487-1488.
Palmer, M.A., D.P. Lettenmaier, N.L. Poff, S.L. Postel, B.D. Richter, R. Warner. 2009. Climate Change and River Ecosystems: Protection and Adaptation Options. Environmental Management 44(6):1053-68. doi: 10.1007/s00267-009-9329-1.
Poff N. L., B. Richter, A. Arthington, S.E. Bunn, R.J. Naiman, E. Kendy, M. Acreman, C. Apse, B.P. Bledsoe, M. Freeman, J. Henriksen, R.B. Jacobsen, J. Kennen, D.M. Merritt, J. O’Keefe, J. Olden, K. Rogers, R.E. Tharme and A Warner. 2009. The ecological limits of hydrologic alteration (ELOHA): a new framework for developing regional environmental flow standards. Freshwater Biology 55: 147-170.
Palmer, M.A., Lettenmaier, D. Poff, N.L. Postel, S. Richter, B., et al. (2008). Wild and scenic rivers. In ‘Preliminary review of adaptation options for climate-sensitive ecosystems and resources’. A Report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research (Eds S. H. Julius, J. M. West.) Chapter 6: pp. 1-38. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Washington, DC, USA.)
Harrison, D., J. Opperman, and B. Richter. 2007. Can Hydropower Be Sustainable? International Water Power and Dam Construction 59: 22-25.
Mathews, R. and B.D. Richter. 2007. Application of Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration Software in Environmental Flow-Setting. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 43:1400-1413.
Gordon, W. and B. Richter. 2006. On quantifying freshwater sustainability through multi-scale mapping. Eos 87: 141.
Fitzhugh, T.W. and B.D. Richter. 2004. Quenching urban thirst: growing cities and their impacts on freshwater ecosystems. BioScience 54:741-754.
Postel, Sandra and Brian Richter. 2004. Rivers for Life: Managing Water for People and Nature. Nature Conservancy Magazine, Spring issue.
Poff, N.L., J.D. Allan, M.A. Palmer, D.D. Hart, B.D. Richter, A.H. Arthington, K.H. Rogers, J.L. Meyer, J.A. Stanford. 2003. River flows and water wars: emerging science for environmental decision-making. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 1:298-306.
Baron, J.S., N.L. Poff, P.L. Angermeier, C.N. Dahm, P.H. Gleick, N.G. Hairston, R.B. Jackson, C.A. Johnston, B.D. Richter, and A.D. Steinman. 2003. Sustaining healthy freshwater systems. Issues in Ecology 10, Winter 2003:1-16.
Baron, J.S., N.L. Poff, P.L. Angermeier, C.N. Dahm, P.H. Gleick, N.G. Hairston, R.B. Jackson, C.A. Johnston, B.D. Richter, and A.D. Steinman. 2002. Meeting ecological and societal needs for freshwater. Ecological Applications 12:1247-1260
Redford, K.H. and B. Richter. Conservation of biodiversity in a world of use. Wild Earth, Summer 2000: 9-11.
Poiani, K.P., B.D. Richter, M.G. Anderson, and H.E. Richter. 2000. Biodiversity
conservation at multiple scales: functional sites, landscapes, and networks. BioScience
50:133-146.
Redford, K.H. and B. D. Richter. 1999. Conservation of biodiversity in a world of use. Conservation Biology 13:1246-1256.
Poff, N.L., J.D. Allan, M.B. Bain, J.R. Karr, K.L. Prestegaard, B.D. Richter, R.E. Sparks, and J.C. Stromberg. 1997. The natural flow regime: a paradigm for river conservation and restoration. BioScience 47:769-784.
Stromberg, J.C., R. Tiller, and B.D. Richter. 1996. Predicting the effects of incremental ground water decline on semiarid region riparian vegetation: case study of the San Pedro River, Arizona. Ecological Applications 6:113-131.
Stromberg, J.C., B.D. Richter, D.T. Patten, and L.G. Wolden. 1993. Response of a Sonoran riparian forest to a 10-year return flood. Great Basin Naturalist 53(2):118-130.
Stromberg, J.C., D.T. Patten, and B.D. Richter. 1991. Flood flows and dynamics of Sonoran riparian forests. Rivers 2(3):221-235.
Kircher, J.T. and B.D. Richter. 1985. Estimation of natural streamflow characteristics for selected basins in western Colorado and adjacent states. USGS Water Resource Investigations Report 85-4086.