Nov. 19 marked the one-year anniversary of the Colorado Water Plan, but there was little about the date to suggest the importance of the plan going forward. It is, quite simply, how Colorado needs to meet its future.
To advance that, the Colorado Water Conservation Board last week authorized $55 million in funding, which will have to be approved by the Legislature. How that will work remains to be seen, but it should add interest to the upcoming legislative session.
The plan, 10 years in the making, was championed by Gov. John Hickenlooper and contributed to by agencies, advocacy groups and individuals from all parts of the state and all points of view. It has to be that inclusive because water is crucial to all of us and the math underlying the issue is relentless.
The U.S. Census Bureau and state demographers estimate Colorado’s population, roughly 5.4 million in 2015, will top 7 million by 2040 and more than 10 million in 2050. All those people will be thirsty and most will be along the Front Range.
Extrapolating from present usage patterns, Colorado does not have enough water for that many people. And, what water it does have is not where they will be.
With that growth in population the state could be looking at a shortfall of more than 500,000 acre feet per year. One acre foot of water is enough for one or two households per year.
The Colorado Water Plan envisions making up that shortfall with a combination of conservation, additional storage and alternative ideas for sharing water currently designated for agricultural use other than simply buying ag land and taking its water. “Buying and drying” is a serious threat to farming and ranching statewide.
The Colorado Water Plan will require a great deal of effort over many years — not to mention a significant amount of money. But it is a plan with achievable goals and it addresses a real need. And any effort to secure the state’s water future has to begin somewhere. That it is still on track a year out is cause for celebration.
