WATER
Our Perspective
Colorado is the only state in the nation where all surface water originates from within state boundaries. The headwaters of the Colorado River form on the west side of the Continental Divide in the mountains of Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. Colorado’s 5.7 million residents, together with the tens of million more residents of the six other states party to the Colorado River Compact, are increasingly aware of how drought, climate change, and wildfires have negatively impacted supply while demand for water continues to grow.
The Colorado Forum recognizes the tension inherent in the fact that the growing population centers of the Colorado Front Range rely on distant Western Slope water and engineered water projects. The Forum is greatly concerned about a burgeoning “buy and dry” phenomenon, in which private owners of Colorado’s ranching and agricultural lands sell their water rights to industry, local governments, or other financial entities thus dooming these natural and working lands. The Forum recognizes that without protected water sources, Colorado’s tourism industry will falter. Most concerning of all, is the possibility of a call on the Upper Basin States of Colorado River Compact, which would legally reduce the amount of water that Colorado can keep within the state to supply our citizens as well as the agriculture, tourism, oil and gas and other industry needs. Our goal is to help the State allocate water for maximum productive use, while protecting the State’s agriculture, environmental, tourism, and commercial industries.
Our Work
For many years, the Forum’s primary focus was the resolution of Native American water rights issues in the San Juan Basin through the federally sponsored, state supported Animas La Plata water project. The Forum was a tenacious advocate for this project which is now completed and serves an important purpose in the San Juan Basin.
We provided input to the Governor and supported the creation of Colorado’s first State Water Plan in 2015. More recently we have been actively engaged with the For the Love of Colorado coalition of stakeholders working to ensure full funding of the Water Plan. Since that time, we have worked with a broad coalition of stakeholders to ensure the Water Plan’s full implementation. We continue to engage in efforts to identify revenue sources and encourage cooperation among diverse water users in the state. We are constantly monitoring the status of the Colorado River Compact, especially now that, for the first time, several Lower Basin States have had to reduce their draws due to water shortages throughout the entire Colorado River system.