Click the link to read the article on the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel website (Tina Bergonzoni and Jackie Fisher). Here’s an excerpt:
In 2019, Coloradans voted to direct tax dollars generated from sports betting to projects that create a more secure water future for the state. More than 90% of this revenue now goes to fund the Colorado Water Plan. But a state-imposed cap limits the amount of revenue that can be used for water projects. As a result, the program is oversubscribed — there are more critical water projects in need of support than current funding limits will allow. On the ballot this November, Prop JJ would rectify this problem by removing the current cap. Its passage would enable more revenue coming in from sports betting to go towards addressing the state’s water needs. This, coupled with increasing funding for drought resilience and other infrastructure needs from the federal government, can help us implement the long-term solutions necessary to manage a hotter and drier climate.
Recent efforts in the Grand Valley have shown the importance of investments in water projects for our community and our environment. The projects include building a new hydropower plant on the Orchard Mesa Irrigation District system, leasing water to help supply it and work underway to upgrade the iconic but aging Roller Dam in DeBeque Canyon. These infrastructure projects not only benefit farmers and generate clean energy, they also play a key role in delivering water to the 15-Mile Reach of the Colorado River between the major irrigation diversions and the confluence with the Gunnison River. Due to high demand, this stretch of the river can reach critically low levels. Increasing water flows in the reach supports critical habitat for native endangered fish and can also keep rafts from running aground on town floats when flows diminish after spring runoff. As managers of the Grand Valley Water Users Association (GVWUA), which runs the Roller Dam, and the Orchard Mesa Irrigation District (OMID), which works with GVWUA to run the power plant, we collaborate with numerous stakeholders and agencies. This includes working to enhance flows in the 15-Mile Reach to protect endangered species while fulfilling our responsibilities to deliver water to producers of hay, corn, wine grapes, produce and peaches.