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As County leaders, we must protect our region. Our quality of life is directly connected to our commitment to build a tomorrow that preserves the best of today. This vision includes protecting our natural resources, utilizing our county’s resources in a fiscally-smart manner, and wisely planning for our future. Thank you for standing with us.
Federal, state focus on water crisis draws attention to need for local long-range solutions
A renewed, intensified focus on Colorado’s long range water needs has been made even more urgent as federal authorities are demanding a 2-4 million acre-feet drop in usage by Colorado River states. Even this amount is not enough to save the Colorado River basin from crisis, critics and experts say.
Coupled with the recent release of a revised state water plan, counties and municipalities are increasingly focusing on their long-range water needs.
Yet friction is increasing among the states that depend on the Colorado River – which serves approximately 40 million people in seven states and Northern Mexico – as proposals aim to drastically cut water usage amid a 20-year-plus mega drought. California, the largest water user, is uncooperative in the talks which could lead to protracted litigation and catastrophic results.
(California is betting that because it has the oldest water rights - it will likely be the last to be impacted by cutbacks during water shortages.)
As this national fight continues, there is growing bipartisan consensus that Colorado needs to do something about water – particularly solutions that don’t overburden our current water resources like the Colorado River – although there is no agreement yet on what that “something” is.
Western Slope legislators, including the newly elected Speaker of the House, are pointing to deep concerns in the farming and ranching community that there soon won’t be enough water.
This dire situation could be made worse if authorities order Colorado water users to send their water down the river to California.
“That changes Christmas if you don’t have enough water,” Montrose State Rep. Marc Catlin told Colorado Politics.
With growing warnings from the feds, and no clear direction from state leaders, the need for counties – including Douglas County – to develop a comprehensive plan for water security becomes increasingly vital.
Two of our Douglas County Commissioners, Abe Laydon and George Teal, have taken forward looking, strategic steps to solve our water issues. Their proposal is similar to other successful country-focused solutions on transportation and public health that were tailored to address our county’s specific needs.
Additionally, a county water plan could knit together the perspectives of the several water providers that serve disparate areas of the county. Not one water provider has a county-wide vantage point or strategy.
The smart move now is to identify a comprehensive well-thought-out approach to Douglas County water security now. Buying time as the federal government tightens the spigot and Western states bargain, only poses an ever increasing risk for growing counties like Douglas County.
Recent Headlines
The Water Wars of the West have begun
Mark down January, 2023, as the month the Water Wars of the West began in earnest.
Four incidents this month point to intensifying skirmishing ahead as the fight is joined over the dwindling amount of water carried by The Colorado River. The West’s most important waterway has reached a crisis point because of a 23-year megadrought, earning the designation of most endangered river in America.
Our reporters hear that the state Attorney General’s Office is lawyering up for a possible onslaught of litigation over who has rights to what water across seven Western states in the Colorado River Basin.
Six Western states agreed on a plan to dramatically cut their Colorado River use. California is the lone holdout.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Six Western states that rely on water from the Colorado River have agreed on a model to dramatically cut their use, months after the federal government called for action and an initial deadline passed.
California — with the largest allocation of water from the river — is the lone holdout.
...The debates over how to cut water use by roughly one-third have been contentious. The Upper Basin states of Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah have said the Lower Basin states — Arizona, California and Nevada — must do the heavy lifting. That conversation in the Lower Basin has centered on what’s legal and what’s fair.
Why desalination won’t save states dependent on Colorado River water
States dependent on the drought-stricken Colorado River are increasingly looking toward desalination as a way to fix the river’s deficit and boost water supplies across the western U.S.
The search for alternative ways to source water comes as federal officials continue to impose mandatory water cuts for states that draw from the Colorado River.
Desalination plants are costly to operate, require enormous amounts of energy and are difficult to manage in an environmentally-friendly way, according to water policy experts.
Did you know? The Bureau of Reclamation’s charge for the seven Colorado River states (Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, California, & Nevada) to conserve 2-4 million acre-feet of water will only keep the Colorado River system healthy until 2026.
Upcoming News from DCFF
Every other week, DCFF will report on important news and challenges impacting our community. We hope you will stay engaged and connected with us.
