A historic moment for Colorado water
Former foes come together to sign Colorado River Cooperative Agreement
 
Leaders from Grand and Summit counties, Denver Water and the Clinton Ditch & Reservoir Co. - entities that for decades battled in court over water - stood today with Gov. John Hickenlooper and signed the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement, changing the way water will be managed in Colorado.

The Colorado River Cooperative Agreement is the product of years of negotiations, and ultimately included more than 40 parties stretching from Grand Junction to the Denver metro area. The historic agreement is the largest of its kind in the history of the state. It shifts Colorado away from a path of conflict to a path of cooperation and collaboration in managing the state's water resources.

Signatories described the agreement as a meaningful way forward to protect the Colorado River.
 
"Our goal through the whole negotiation was to be better off tomorrow than we are today with our water resources," said Grand County Commissioner Nancy Stuart.
 
"The collaborative spirit is alive and well in Colorado," said Gov. John Hickenlooper. This is a state where we get things done. From farmers and families to businesses and wildlife, this agreement will help protect Colorado's water and is a testament to how collaboration can overcome even long-standing differences in managing this vital resource."
 
The comprehensive agreement focuses on significantly enhancing the environmental health of Colorado's rivers and streams, as well as supporting many West Slope cities, towns, counties and water providers as they work to improve water quality and quantity of water through new municipal projects and river management initiatives.
 
"This is a new way of developing water in Colorado," said Grand County Commissioner James Newberry. "Only through cooperative effort can we do the right thing for the resource."

"The agreement we sign today marks the beginning of a new era of inter-regional cooperation with one broad goal: a brighter and more sustainable future for Colorado," said Penfield Tate, vice president, Denver Board of Water Commissioners. "Today, we are saying there is a better way - a way that will make the Colorado River and its tributaries healthier, ensure a more reliable water supply for our customers, and that will develop and use water in a way that protects and improves the environment and benefits all users from the West Slope to the Front Range."

In exchange for environmental enhancements, including financial support for municipal water projects and providing additional water supply and service area restrictions, the agreement, with the required mitigation, will remove opposition to Denver Water's Moffat Collection System Project.
 
"This agreement honors the recognition that protecting water resources and tourism in our headwaters counties also protects the entire state of Colorado's economy," said Summit County Commissioner Karn Stiegelmeier.

Bill Baum, president of the Clinton Ditch & Reservoir Company, said: "Since 1992, Clinton Ditch & Reservoir Company has been a monument to what cooperation can achieve. Governmental entities and private industry have worked together through Clinton to provide a source of water for the residents of Summit and Grand County, for the visitors who are our economic lifeblood, and for the industry that provides the resources that allows all of us to live and play in this magnificent part of Colorado." He continued: "Twenty years later, this new cooperative agreement carries on and extends that spirit of collaboration to a wider group and a new century. Clinton is pleased to be a part of it, and we will all be better off as a result of it."
 
The entities also signed on to the "Learning by Doing" process, by which Denver Water, Grand County, the Colorado River District, the Middle Park Water Conservancy District and others will use the flexibility in Denver Water's water system to manage flows for the benefit of the environment in Grand County.
 
In addition to today's signatories, the agreement has been signed by Eagle County, Eagle River Water & Sanitation District, the Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority and Eagle Park Reservoir Company. Other West Slope entities are expected to sign in the near future.

More details can be found at www.denverwater.org and at www.crwcd.org/page_336

Denver Water, 2 counties sign Colo. River deal
Colorado's largest water utility and two western counties are ratifying a deal aimed at balancing the Denver-area's demand for water with the needs of mountain communities.

Colorado River District 2011 Annual Report
Highlights: Colorado River Cooperative Agreement; State and Federal legislation; Grant Program; H2O Outdoors Water Camp; Financials; and more.

Upcoming Annual State of the River Meetings:

Wed., May 30, Eagle River Valley State of the River, 5:30-8:00pm, Berry Creek Middle School, 1000 Miller Ranch Road  Edwards (location map and directions)

Mon., June 4, Gunnison County State of the Rivers, Student Center Ballroom at Western Colorado State University, Gunnison: 10 a.m., tour of the Aspinall Unit Reservoirs; 4 p.m. Gunnison Basin Roundtable Meeting: 6:30 p.m. Public Reception; 7 p.m. Snowpack and Streamflow levels and predictions for the summer; 7:20 p.m. Aspinall Operations Update; 7:40 p.m. a History of Construction at the Aspinall Unit; 8:15 p.m. the 75 Year History of the Colorado River District with author George Sibley.

Reclamation Releases a Record of Decision for Aspinall Unit Operations  
Reclamation's Western Colorado Area Office announced today the release of the Record of Decision for the Aspinall Unit Operations Final Environmental Impact Statement.

The ROD outlines how Reclamation will operate the Aspinall Unit, consisting of Blue Mesa, Morrow Point and Crystal dams and reservoirs on the Gunnison River, to avoid jeopardy to downstream endangered fish species while continuing to meet the congressionally authorized purposes of the unit.
-Full Press Release-

Colorado: Denver Water declares Stage 1 drought
The Denver Board of Water Commissioners is declaring a Stage 1 drought in recognition of low streamflows and projected low runoff. Anticipating the possibility of continued dry water, customers will be asked to voluntarily cut back on water use by 10 percent. "Our intents is to maintain our system reserves in as good a shape as possible in case we are entering the first in a series of dry years," the board wrote in its April 25 resolution.
-Full story in Summit County Citizens Voice-
-Denver Water press release-


Gov. Hickenlooper targets water conservation, dams for Colorado River
Gov. John Hickenlooper dived into an intensifying debate over the imperiled Colorado River on Tuesday with a call for radically increased water conservation and an assertion that some new dams will be needed. "We have lessons around the world that we can do more with less," Hickenlooper said at a Colorado College conference, referring to Australian cities where residents cut average per capita consumption to 36 gallons a day and to Israel's highly efficient use of water in agriculture.
-Full story in The Denver Post-

98 percent of Colorado in a drought, say CSU climatologists
CSU climatologists say drought conditions have spread across 98 percent of Colorado
Scarred by destructive wildfires and an arid March, Colorado needs a cold, wet shot of moisture. State water managers are begging for it. They are already eyeing dwindling snowpacks and wondering whether water restrictions should be clamped on the state's towns and cities as warm temperatures persist. "This always makes us nervous," said Aurora Water spokesman Greg Baker.

Many reservoir levels are actually in better shape than they were in 2002 - Colorado's last significant drought year, Baker said. But Baker said he worries that a hot, dry 2012 would drain reservoirs and other water sources so much that not much could be left for 2013.
-Coverage in The Denver Post-

The 2011-12 State of the Rockies Conference: April 9-10, Colorado Springs, CO
"The Colorado River Basin: Agenda for Use, Restoration, and Sustainability for the Next Generation"
As a culmination of this year's State of the Rockies Project work on the Colorado River Basin, the Project will be hosting a conference on the Colorado College Campus on April 9th and 10th, 2012. In addition to the release of the 2012 State of the Rockies Report Card, we will have a stellar line-up of speakers addressing the future management of the Colorado River Basin. Speakers for the Conference will include the Honorable Ken Salazar, Seceretary of the Department of the Interior, Marcia McNutt, Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.
-More Information-

Risk assessment scenario for Portfolio Tool