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States Still Wrestling Over Colorado River Water
Decisions Will Impact Our Region’s Water Security
Mark Twain once said, “Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting.”
That saying applies to the continuing dispute over allocation of the Colorado River – which supplies water to 40 million Americans.
Negotiators representing Colorado River Basin states – including Colorado – are at loggerheads over how to address water supplies pressured by drought and climate change.
The question is how best to ensure water supply to Lake Mead and Lake Powell – which are the country’s two largest reservoirs – while protecting the supplies needed for residential, business and agricultural users in each of the states.
The clock is ticking toward an August 2026 expiration of the current agreement. The states are divided into two groups:
The Upper Basin states, which includes Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, are proposing a solution that recognizes the unpredictability of snowfall which provides much of the water supply.
The Lower Basin states (Arizona, California and Nevada) are focused on maintaining the flow of water from the Upper Basin.
A recent meeting that was designed to generate progress in the talks resulted in little, if any, communication between the two sides.
There is much at stake here for the Front Range since a number of providers rely on Colorado River water – including Denver Water – which reports that 50 percent of its water supply comes from the Colorado River or its tributaries.
Denver Water, in turn, supplies water to the WISE project that services Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock and Parker, among others.
This is why it is vitally important that local communities, such as Douglas County, to do all they can proactively to secure sufficient renewable water supplies going forward.
The continuing impasse over the Colorado River – and the increasing threat of the federal government stepping in to impose its own solution – means decisions are coming that could have significant impact on the region’s water security.
Recent Headlines
Colorado River officials throw barbs during annual river conference while at odds over future water use
Hundreds of people gathered in a Las Vegas conference room Thursday to get a much anticipated glimpse into negotiations over the river’s future management from seven state officials. What they heard was oft-repeated talking points, finger-pointing and disagreements over basic facts.
…“In the Upper Basin, it’s the ‘Hunger Games.’ We are hungry all the time. There is never enough,” said Becky Mitchell, Colorado’s top negotiator. “That’s what we’re asking to be acknowledged.”
…Wyoming’s top negotiator, Brandon Gebhart, said the enmity needs to end.
“We really need to understand that the enemy we’re battling right now is not the Upper Basin. It’s not the Lower Basin: it’s hydrology,” Gebhard said. “All the rhetoric, the saber rattling and other distractions going on right now are bullshit. It needs to stop. … We need leadership, not rhetoric.”
What is behind the high-stakes standoff over the Colorado River’s future? State negotiators have their say.
State officials are at odds over how to plan for drier years in the Colorado River Basin, but they agree on the main issue blocking their progress: How to cut use in the worst years a changing climate has to offer.
…“We may not be able to develop in all the ways that we’d hoped,” said Commissioner Becky Mitchell, Colorado’s top negotiator. “But we can’t plan for hopes and dreams. We have to plan for what’s actually there, and that involves hard choices.”
If state officials cannot come to an agreement, they might get stuck with a federal plan they don’t like or in a decades-long court battle, which would take the solution out of the basin’s hands entirely.
…“It’s pretty basic: Who will take cuts? How much? And in what form?” said Amy Haas, who is on the negotiating team and is the executive director of the Colorado River Authority of Utah. “That is the essence of the impasse.”
Billion dollar solution aims to create sustainable water source
Castle Rock is joining a major water project, as part of its efforts to secure more water.
Phase one will establish the initial infrastructure for the project, but may not be completed until the year 2040. The entire project will cost roughly $1.2 billion over more than 50 years.
Colorado’s economic forecast for 2025: Slower growth amidst uncertainty
Despite a complex national and global economic landscape, Colorado’s economy will continue to grow in 2025, according to the 60th annual Colorado Business Economic Outlook, released Monday by the Business Research Division at the Leeds School of Business.
The forecast, developed by the Business Research Division in collaboration with the State of Colorado and insights from more than 140 leaders across the business, education and government sectors, projects job growth of 1.2% in 2025. This would mean an additional 36,700 jobs throughout the state, with 10 of Colorado’s 11 major industries expected to add jobs.
The population in 2025 is expected to grow 51,000, following an increase of 43,000 in 2024.
Colorado River Basin rules expire in 2026. These rules govern how lakes Mead and Powell store and release water in wet, average and dry years. These reservoirs comprise over 90 percent of the storage capacity in the entire basin, which includes seven Western states, including Colorado, and part of Mexico.
Officials from these states have until 2026 to finalize a plan. For Coloradans, these decisions will impact how the state grows in the future.
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Every other week, DCFF will report on important news and challenges impacting our community. We hope you will stay engaged and connected with us.
