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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.
The High Cost of Doing Nothing
The two most overused – and increasingly risky – phrases heard in the debate about Colorado’s water future are: “Why all the fuss? We will be fine.” But meandering through the status quo, and doing nothing, is very risky – and has a high cost.
The status quo isn’t attractive to agricultural water users across the West, including nearly 500 from Colorado, who participated in a recent survey by the University of Wyoming.
As reported by Colorado Politics, farmers and ranchers – who use nearly 90 percent of the water in Colorado – are deeply concerned about future water use constraints, water management policy along with the high cost of water.
Ag producers also expressed significant concern in the survey about the future viability of farms and ranches if they must increasingly rely on groundwater or fallowing fields.
This is a recipe for significant concern, not only in the future of the nation’s food supply, but in the sufficiency of the water supply – including in rural areas of Douglas County that are not served by municipal water providers. Getting a handle on the totality of the county’s current supplies (and long-range needs) through the creation of a countywide water plan is essential.
Given the relatively small percentage of municipal and industrial usage (7 percent) compared to
the massive needs of farms and ranches, it’s important to put into perspective the ways to
address the need to move off non-renewable aquifers.
Annual water usage statewide is about
5.34 million acre-feet on average. Allocating an additional 22,000 acre-feet of renewable
water, which would be significant to Douglas County or other Front Range counties, would
represent .41 percent of that annual total. That is less than half of 1 percent.
That anyone would oppose a big-picture, county-wide examination, rooted in verifiable facts, is a head scratcher. It’s akin to a person embarking on a long road trip without checking the gas gauge.
Recent Headlines
Survey finds Western ag producers willing to engage in water conservation, with caveats
A new survey finds Western ag producers hold significant concerns about future water shortages, with 80% of respondents saying their greatest concern centers on the potential for new constraints on water use.
…The current state of water management policies got a thumbs down from survey respondents, which the report said reflected a "low level of trust in state water management institutions to effectively manage shortages."
Where ag producers put their trust: local water management policies. The report said this was bolstered by interviews in which respondents said local conditions are critically important to consider in implementing water management practices and policies. But the gap between how ag producers view state and local water management policies could show a perception of a lack of coordination between state and local levels, the report said.
…Bennett addressed the high number of Colorado responses to the survey, pointing out that Colorado has the largest number of irrigators in the entire basin. That said, there were more similarities among the irrigators in the Upper Basin states than differences, he explained.
Farmers in Arizona use far more of it than residents do, so demand declines as the population grows.
...Phoenix has water challenges, but to us they look less daunting than challenges other cities face. Moving a defined quantity of water from where it is now to where it is needed can be less complex and expensive than keeping rising sea
levels from inundating cities or keeping floodwater out of places where it causes
harm. Even adjusted for inflation, the $4 billion price tag for the Central Arizona Project, which brings Colorado River water to Phoenix and Tucson, looks like a minor expense compared with the $14 billion that the Federal Emergency
Management Agency sent to New York City in response to Superstorm Sandy, a single, devastating event.
Did you know? Annual water usage statewide is about 5.34 million acre-feet on average. Allocating an additional 22,000 acre-feet of renewable water, which would be significant to Douglas County or other Front Range counties, would represent .41 percent of that annual total. That is less than half of 1 percent.
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.
