SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR COLORADO’S WATER FUTURE

Most solutions for Colorado to meet its future water needs must come from local municipalities and water providers. However, the state legislature can and should assist, by removing statutory obstacles, providing direction, and making available technical and financial assistance.

1. Improve Colorado's Water Use Efficiency

To enable more efficient use of existing water supplies, the Legislature should adopt measures to:

• Create rebate programs for drought-tolerant re-landscaping projects and water efficient appliances, through the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) construction fund.
• Help providers fix water system leaks with financial and technical assistance from the CWCB.
• Provide technical and financial assistance to providers to complete and update their 1991 water conservation plans with goals for reduction and report back after 8 years on progress.
• Prevent wasteful water use by requiring all water providers to implement tiered rate structures.

2. Ensure Equity Through Protection for Basins of Origin

The Legislature should protect water export areas by requiring for transbasin diversions:

• Full application and preservation of counties’ existing 1041 powers;
• Full use of native water and implementation of all reasonable efficiency measures by the receiving entity prior to diverting new or additional water from the basin of origin;
• A decision-making process open to participation by the public and all affected parties;
• Mitigation of both economic and ecological impacts; and
• Enforcement of all elements.

3. Address Water Supply Challenges in the South Metro Area

To address the south metro area's water supply challenges, we support legislation to establish a water authority provided that: (a) the area's surface water supply comes first from native water, aggressive conservation and full reuse, (b) the authority integrate surface and ground water management, (c) if Blue River water is still needed after (a) and (b), there be appropriate mitigation for all impacts to its water supply, economy and environment, and (d) the authority has a majority of members accountable to the public and operate in an open, transparent manner.

4. Protect Clean Water

The Legislature should protect the quality of existing water supplies by enacting a bill that directs the water courts to protect water quality for existing water users when approving a change in use.

5. Protect Consumers through Better Water Planning

The Legislature should ensure better planning to meet future water needs to protect homeowners from unanticipated water supply shortages by enacting legislation to require:

• Sellers to disclose a home’s water supply and its reliability to homebuyers prior to sale.
• The State Engineer to certify the availability of a secure, 100-year water supply for new housing developments before they receive local government approval, imposing a fee for this service.

6. Safeguard Colorado’s Rivers and Streams

We should ensure that there are adequate water flows in our streams and rivers to provide for healthy fisheries, recreation, tourism-based economies, and the preservation of Colorado’s natural heritage. The Legislature can help achieve this goal by removing the current restriction that limits the use of emergency in-stream flows to times of Governor-declared emergencies.

7. Promote Flexibility for Cooperative Water Sharing

We should further enable cooperative water sharing arrangements that allow farmers and other water rights holders to temporarily lease their water to cities and others during dry years. To accomplish this, the Legislature should remove the current restriction that limits the use of these interruptible supply agreements to times of Governor-declared emergencies.

8. Fix it First by Repairing Existing Dams

The Legislature should encourage the rehabilitation of existing dams and reservoirs so that they
can hold more water, through increased financial assistance from the CWCB construction fund.