From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
A difficult, two-year slog to every corner of the state has produced the state’s first water plan.
“This is how Colorado works: together, in partnership, to tackle head-on our toughest challenges,” said Gov. John Hickenlooper. “Today we turn a new page on Colorado’s long and adversarial history on water. Colorado’s Water Plan shows us how we can move forward together to ensure we continue to enjoy sufficient supplies for our vibrant cities, productive farms and incomparable environment.”
Hickenlooper received the plan he asked for in 2013 from the Colorado Water Conservation Board on Thursday, shortly after the board gave the plan its final blessing.
The final plan promotes a list of projects identified during the process, but does not give priority or funding to any of them. But it does establish measurable outcomes and timetables to meet general goals.
Among those:
Reducing the projected 2050 municipal and industrial water gap of 560,000 acre-feet to zero by 2030. This reflects the gap first identified in the 2004 Statewide Water Supply Initiative.
Achieving 400,000 acre-feet of urban conservation by 2050. It also sets a goal of 75 percent of Coloradans living in communities that have incorporated water-saving ideas into land use.
Developing voluntary temporary transfers to share at least 50,000 acre-feet of agricultural water by 2030. That opens the door to programs like the Arkansas Valley Super Ditch.
Attaining 400,000 acre-feet of additional storage by 2050. Much of that would come from projects already on the drawing board that have bobbed along in a sea of controversy for a decade or more.
Raising $100 million annually in additional revenue to fund water projects from 2020-50, a total of $3 billion. That addresses aging infrastructure issues that have continued to worsen.
Covering 80 percent of critical watershed health needs by 2030.
Developing the water plan involved numerous meetings throughout the state and generated 30,000 public comments. Along the way, it was criticized as cumbersome and not specific enough in its outcomes — adjustments the CWCB staff tried to correct along the way.
Even more importantly, the water plan presents a framework for continued discussions.
“We are talking to one another. We are forging relationships,” said James Eklund, CWCB executive director. “Even those who may see water-related issues from very different perspectives have worked hard to understand other points of view. And that kind of understanding leads to an environment of civility that helps us cooperate in fashioning solutions.”
The plan also soothed the ruffled feathers of most environmental groups, who say they have been ignored or discounted in previous water planning efforts.
“The plan represents a needed change from historic management practices,” said Carlos Fernandez, Colorado director of the Nature Conservancy. “In the face of diminishing supplies and increasing demands on our state’s water resources, the plan identifies innovative solutions for water management that reflect nearly a decade of grass-roots discussions.”
“Coloradans overwhelmingly support water conservation, and we are pleased to see this plan proposing our state’s first-ever urban conservation goal,” said Theresa Conley of Conservation Colorado. “The plan recognizes that to meet our future water needs we must change the status quo from focusing on new, large transmountain diversions to prioritizing conservation, reuse and recycling. We look forward to the governor moving forward and carrying out our state’s water plan to better protect our rivers and wildlife.”