State funds water talks

Discussions planned on meeting metro, river basin needs

Jerd Smith, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 8, 2006 at midnight

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Colorado has set aside $40 million in grants to help communities across the state analyze local water needs and study potential partnerships to ensure that everyone has enough of the scarce resource.

The cash represents a major step for the state as it tries to lure warring urban and rural interests to the negotiating table to stave off looming water shortages.

The money is flowing from the state's severance tax fund and will be doled out over the next four years.

How to spend the cash is up to a series of regional roundtable groups that represent the state's eight major river basins and metro Denver. More than 300 people are participating in the roundtables.

Russell George, executive director of Colorado's Department of Natural Resources, is spearheading that effort.

George said he hopes the money will help Colorado examine a broad range of options, from environmental water needs to conservation projects to farm needs.

"Historically, programs have been 'How do we build a project to store water?' Now, we're saying, 'Talk to us about all the possibilities,' " he said.

State officials have, until now, rarely played a major role in water issues, leaving it up to the cities and farmers who control the water rights to determine how best to meet their needs.

But because Colorado doesn't have enough water in storage reservoirs and distribution systems to meet growing demands, the state is assuming a larger role.

For several weeks, members of the roundtables have been negotiating the rules for spending the money. The guidelines are expected to be finalized by October.

"No project can get money unless the basin roundtable agrees to it," George said. "And that's to keep someone from outside the basin from coming in and saying, 'We're going to do this.' "

Often in the past, Front Range cities have claimed water in Western Slope streams and then built projects to move the water east. The practice is legal under Colorado's water laws, but it has triggered decades of bitterness and distrust between the two regions.

George and others hope the new roundtable process will create more cooperation.

"The direction they're taking is good," said state Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, who is a member of the committee that oversees the roundtables. "But there are some touchy issues right now, like how the money should be divided. Some groups want all of it devoted to a regional water project. But I think it has to be used to address in-basin needs first."

Peter Binney, director of utilities for Aurora, agrees.

"As a first cut, I think it has to be divided equally among the basins. But we have to be careful," he said.

"If at the end of this four-year period, we can't show we've laid the groundwork for a statewide solution, one that addresses water conservation, recreational and environmental needs, agricultural conservation and the needs of our population, we will have failed to demonstrate the money was well spent and we will have failed in our responsibility to the public."

Learning more

• For more information on the regional water roundtables and the $40 million grant program, call Eric Hecox at 303-866-4895 or visit dnr.state.co.us and click on Interbasin Compact - Water for the 21st Century.

smithj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5474

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