From the Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Hannah Holm):
Since all the major Colorado River diversions to the Eastern Slope cities are junior to the Colorado River Compact, there is concern that this would set off a rush to buy and dry senior Western Slope agricultural water rights to allow those diversions to continue.
So … East Slopers are afraid that failing to take enough Colorado River water east of the divide will lead to a massive dry-up of irrigated agriculture, and Western Slopers are afraid that taking too much will do the same.
Both sides are worried about how this conundrum will be dealt with in Colorado’s statewide water plan, so meetings are multiplying and memos are flying. “Basin Roundtables” of stakeholders on both sides are trying to figure out how to simultaneously strengthen their negotiating position and also find low-impact ways of accommodating each others needs.
Possibilities discussed include:
• Allowing new transfers of Western Slope water to the Front Range, but only when existing reservoirs are full.
• Building new reservoirs to hold Western Slope water that can benefit water users on both sides of the divide (that’s how past controversies of this type have been resolved).
• Ramping up urban conservation to the point where cities won’t need more water from either agriculture or Western Slope streams.
The route taken to resolve this sticky issue will have long-term impacts for the economies, environment and quality of life of communities all across the state. We should all be paying attention.
More transmountain/transbasin diversions coverage here and here.