From the Sterling Journal Advocate (Forrest Hershberger):
Jim Yahn, manager of the North Sterling and Prewitt Reservoir system, and members of other area water management boards, met with the Sterling City council last week regarding a proposed “water co-op,” as City Manager Joe Kiolbasa described it…
Yahn and his associates came to the council, explaining the plan they are taking to other ditch companies. “We`ve met with all these ditch companies, telling them what we`re thinking,” he said. Part of the discussion is developing an agreement where individuals and agencies can exchange, buy and share water credits. “If we don`t do something, agriculture will have a target,” Yahn said. “We have these pressures on our area for Front Range water.”[…]
Yahn said ultimately the idea is to plan for water need associated with population growth. He said some communities have narrowly missed running out of water; others have entered contracts with other water suppliers to keep their communities healthy. “We kind of feel an urgency to get this thing going,” he said. He said the plan of sharing water credits could be a financial asset to an owner or agency willing to sell or lease credits to others. It is an example of rural water users getting as much out of each gallon as possible.
More South Platte River basin coverage here.