From KUNC (Stephanie Paige Ogburn):
Water managers are taking the next steps in formulating a statewide water plan, following a meeting where representatives from Colorado’s eight water basins met and presented drafts of their individual plans.
There have been longstanding tensions between the state’s Western side and the Front Range over water transfers, and those differences came through in some of the presentations.
“We are already a major donor of water to the Front Range of Colorado,” said Jim Pokrandt, a representative from the Colorado River District, which manages water for six counties in that basin on the Western Slope.
Sean Cronin, executive director of the St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District, represents the South Platte and Metro interests in the state water plan discussions. In his presentation, Cronin pointed out the Front Range will likely need additional sources of water from the Colorado River.
“The South Platte Basin is in favor of further development of Colorado’s [Colorado River] entitlement,” Cronin said.
The difference between Pokrandt’s western perspective and Cronin’s eastern one has been in existence for decades, say water experts…
The Western Slope’s Pokrandt said that while he appreciates existing conservation efforts from certain entities like Denver Water, Aurora, and Colorado Springs, the Front Range could do a lot more overall to use its water more efficiently.
“That’s going to include addressing your urban conservation, how we landscape, appliances and things that we have in our house. And Colorado hasn’t totally embraced that,” he said.
From the metropolitan side, Cronin said he saw the South Platte as a “model throughout the state” from a conservation standpoint.
“We agree, we feel there can be more done in the way of conservation. Where it starts to get controversial is to what degree.”
Cronin said the Metro/South Platte roundtable favored the preservation of local control over water, shying away from any measures that might force municipalities to use water in certain ways.
Another big focus for the South Platte is keeping water in agriculture, rather than doing what is called “buy and dry,” allowing farmland to go dry while the water is used in cities.
On the flip side, the desire to keep water in agriculture in the state’s eastern side is part of what drives the need for more transfers from the west, noted Pokrandt.
More Colorado Water Plan coverage here.