You are receiving this newsletter because you are a recognized Douglas County community leader and stakeholder.
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.
Douglas County Water Commission Gets to Work This Week
The first meeting of the Douglas County Water Commission will be held this week, bringing to fruition an effort to have the county complete a comprehensive assessment of its water assets, project future needs, and construct a county water plan.
The 11-member commission was appointed after Douglas County Commissioners conducted a series of meetings to structure the body and then engage in an extensive due diligence process – including personal interviews.
The result of this process is a Commission that includes representation from throughout this geographically and economically diverse county, including the voices of our ranching and farming communities that are often served by their own wells.
The Commission will also provide the opportunity for a transparent, public forum for the large public water providers to share their assessment of current water assets for their service areas, and their plans to meet strong growth in rapidly expanding suburban areas of the county.
That the Commission is getting down to work this week is good news for current property owners, including residents and business owners to know that the first in-depth, countywide water plan is in the works.
It is also vitally important to the county’s economy and quality of life. Without a guarantee of an adequate water supply for decades down the road, everything that is unique and special about Douglas County is at risk.
The establishment of this Commission, and its deliberations, are long-awaited steps forward for Douglas County on an issue that is annually top-of-mind for citizens across the county. It is a recognition that high-quality, affordable and renewable water supplies are the foundation of our county’s future.
Recent Headlines
Kevin Rein, Colorado’s top water cop, retires after six years as state engineer
Rein leaves as Colorado’s water leaders face high-stakes issues in the Colorado River Basin — including how to share, and shut off, water in a drier future.
As Colorado’s top water-law enforcer, Kevin Rein has been a key adviser in some of the state’s prickliest water debates. Now, he’s ready to let another person take the helm.
Rein, 64, will retire this month after spending more than six years of his 43-year career in the role of state engineer, where he worked to ensure essential water resources flow to Coloradans, people in 19 downstream states and Mexico.
Colorado River deal opens cash spigot for big farms
Billions of dollars of Inflation Reduction Act money meant to tackle drought looks likely to make it more expensive to clinch a broader deal critical to economies in several states.
A widely hailed deal to conserve water from the shrinking Colorado River is turning into a windfall for some of the most powerful farmers and tribes in the West.
A POLITICO investigation has found that many of the deals to save water under the three-year $1.2 billion pact struck by Arizona, California and Nevada in May are driving up the value of existing agreements to save or transfer water by nearly 50 percent.
…“It’s all a grand experiment,” said Kathryn Sorensen, a former head of Phoenix’s water department, who noted that Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act funding is effectively creating a new market for water, with a new, higher price. “This market, especially one with a premium [price], might create some perverse incentives.”
…That raises the prospect that, rather than helping the region begin to adapt to a drier future, the Biden administration’s approach to spending a large chunk of the $4 billion pot of IRA drought funding could instead drive up the cost of the future water conservation deals. The federal dollars will dry up in 2026, and without new funding from Congress, it’s unclear who will foot the new, higher bill for the water savings arrangements that will be essential to ensuring that Western economies can continue to grow as the river shrinks.
Did you know? The Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act funding for the Colorado River and drought mitigation disappears in 2026. If a new revenue stream isn't replaced by the federal government, states and local officials will be forced to find funding on their own to ensure that Western economies can continue to grow as the river shrinks.
The Colorado River supplies water to 40 million people, including those of us living in Colorado, in addition to vast swaths of the country’s most productive farmland.
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.
