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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.
Breakdown in Colorado River Usage Negotiations Could Have Downstream Impact on Douglas County
Water challenges for the seven states, including Colorado, that rely on the Colorado River have come back into focus recently as the states hit an impasse in negotiations over how best to reduce water usage to fend off mandatory federal cuts.
The river, which serves the water needs of 40 million people in the West, has been facing significant stress in recent years, the result of a 20-year drought and sharply increasing demand.
There is a significant gap in vision between the heavy water users in the lower part of the river – California, Nevada and Arizona – and the Upper Basin states, including Colorado.
The Lower Basin states have recently cut water usage by 14 percent in large part thanks to an infusion of more than $600 million in federal funds, including paying farmers to fallow their fields. ("Fallow" is another term for "buy and dry" - an approach many arid communities take to avoid running out of water.)
These states have been putting additional pressure on Colorado to cut our state’s usage even further than we already have – ignoring the unpredictability of our water output year-to-year, which is heavily dependent on annual mountain snowpack.
Colorado is unable to use the water the state is annually entitled to under the Colorado River Compact, where published reports have noted that in some years, our state was unable to store the 4 million-acre feet we are otherwise entitled to.
The reality is that the populous and arid Lower Basin states are going to continue to push hard for Colorado and the other Upper Basin states to agree to water reductions.
Add pressures from a drier, more arid climate, lower snow pack, drought and increase demand from a growing population - we will only see a deepening of existing challenges for water providers in Douglas County and all of the Colorado.
The water status quo is an unreliable foundation upon which to build a future vision for Colorado.
The only thing constant is change, which means that assumptions that are now decades old must be challenged and updated if Colorado, and Douglas County, are to have a water plan that is in sync with 21st century realities.
Recent Headlines
Talks to save the Colorado River just hit a logjam
Negotiations over plans to conserve its waters starting in 2027 have bifurcated: Arizona and California, two of the biggest users of the river, said Wednesday they will give up massive amounts of water going forward, and are asking the rest of the river basin to cut back their water use in the driest years. But upriver states, led by Colorado, are standing firm against more cuts: They rely on variable snowpack for their water supply, they said, so they can’t make promises about how much water they can leave in the river from year to year.
It isn’t clear how representatives for the states can bridge the gap between the dueling proposals — and whether it could fall on the highest levels of government to determine how to manage what is a vital source of water for 40 million people across seven Western states. A new approach is imperative for communities to be able to continue to rely on a river sapped by a historic drought and decades of overuse. The final plan could chart the river’s course for 20 years.
…A century-old agreement that forms the basis for water allocations along the river is based on an assumption that 16.4 million acre-feet of water will flow each year. But from 2000 to 2018, as the region suffered through a climate-change-fueled drought, the average was closer to 12 million acre-feet. (An acre-foot, enough to spread water across an acre at a depth of 1 foot, is equal to about 326,000 gallons — about as much as two to three typical households would use in a year.)
States in Colorado River Basin pitch new ways to absorb shortages but clash on the approach
...“The challenges are complex, and given the short amount of time for an initial submittal, it was not possible to reach a seven-state consensus on an alternative at this time,” said Becky Mitchell, Colorado’s representative to the Upper Colorado River Commission.
...The Colorado River has been in crisis because of a multi-decade drought in the West intensified by climate change, rising demand and overuse. The 1,450-mile (2,334-kilometer) river also serves Mexico and more than two dozen Native American tribes, produces hydropower, and supplies water to farms that grow most of the nation’s winter vegetables.
Study: Front Range cities most vulnerable to possible Colorado River cuts
As competition grows for Colorado’s limited water resources, Front Range cities are disproportionately vulnerable to interstate water cuts on the beleaguered Colorado River, according to a recently updated study.
Did you know? The majority of the renewable water that Douglas County's water providers claim, actually comes from Aurora's and Denver’s Colorado River water rights.
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.
