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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.
DougCo Water Plan In Step With Plans Under Way in Neighboring Counties
Developing a county-wide water plan for Douglas County is not a new or novel idea in Colorado. Neighboring counties have either had a county water plan on the books for decades or, in the case of our neighbor to the east, Elbert County – the plan is underway.
Elbert County, which is almost entirely dependent on the Denver Basin Aquifers, outlined its rationale for creating a county water plan in an application for state grant funds to assist with the planning process:
“Elbert County needs a water plan that clearly shows we are proactively striving for balance between the up-front cost and long-term sustainability of new developments and addressing the concerns of existing residents to preserve their access to the water under their homes.”
Like Elbert, Arapahoe County is also in the midst of its own water study to determine whether it will impose the 300-year water supply rule on its communities.
The first to put in place the 300-year water supply rule was El Paso County back in 1986, based on its own comprehensive county water plan.
A county-wide plan that looks in depth at current supply, future demands, and the expected path of county growth is increasingly essential – as neighboring counties experiencing the challenges with their water supplies and growth as Douglas County are demonstrating.
Our county leaders are spot on in launching their own county water planning process this year.
Recent Headlines
Feds announce start of public process to reshape key rules on Colorado River water use by 2027
…The department's U.S. Bureau of Reclamation promised a “robust and transparent public process” beginning with online virtual public meetings July 17, July 18 and July 24. It set an Aug. 15 deadline for receipt of public comments on "specific operational guidelines, strategies and any other issues that should be considered.”
The result is expected to guide federal management of the dams that control the flow of the river throughout the Colorado River Basin, from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California.
Hay – yes, hay – is sucking the Colorado River dry
Desert farming, wasteful irrigation and the profoundly thirsty crop is bringing the critical river to the brink.
When California, Arizona and Nevada agreed last week to stop using 3 million acre-feet of Colorado River water — about a trillion gallons — in order to protect their drinking supply, they took aim at one especially thirsty user: hay. So-called “forage crops” like alfalfa and Bermuda grass, which are used to feed livestock, mainly cattle, require mind-altering amounts of water to cultivate. For the next three years, the states agreed to pay farmers who ordinarily grow livestock feed $1.2 billion not to. That alone is estimated to conserve the lion’s share of the trillion-gallon target.
As the Colorado River Declines, Water Scarcity and the Hunt for New Sources Drive up Rates
PHOENIX—Across the Southwest, water users are preparing for a future with a lot less water as the region looks to confront steep cuts from the Colorado River and states are forced to limit use to save the river. Farms are being paid to not farm. Cities are looking to be more efficient and find new water supplies. And prices are starting to go up.
… For providers in Arizona that get water from the Colorado River, the costs are beginning to add up.
Starting this October, Phoenix customers could see a 6.5 percent increase—roughly $2 for the average user per month—with another 6.5 percent increase next March and a final 13 percent increase in 2025. Phoenix Water Services will also impose a water allowance on customers to promote conservation, resulting in a $4 increase each month should customers use more than what is allotted to them.
