All Coloradans have a responsibility to conserve water, and the city of Colorado Springs is no exception. The city is committed to providing excellent public services, including maintaining its beautiful landscapes while using water efficiently. The recently approved standard requires Colorado Springs utility companies to have 128% of the water needed to meet the city's current demands and cover all the projected need for a future subdivision that allows property to enter the city. The Colorado River Water Conservation District (Colorado River District) is dedicated to upholding the intent of the Colorado River Storage Projects Act (CRSPA) of 1956: “Colorado River Upper Basin Comprehensive Development Act”.
The Colorado River District opposes any proposal to market Colorado River water between the states of the upper Colorado River basin and the states of the lower Colorado River basin without the unanimous consent of the seven states. Additionally, they support and promote western Colorado agriculture and will partner with agricultural interests to ensure a dynamic agricultural sector in western Colorado. On Tuesday, the Colorado Springs City Council amended and approved a controversial water ordinance that will benefit current developers and could block major annexations that plan to build new neighborhoods. Carlyle Currier, president of the Colorado Agricultural Office and former president of the Colorado Alliance for Water for Agriculture, said that the draft guidelines released this week by the Biden administration, which proposes alternative plans to deal with the historic drought in the Colorado River basin, should force states that depend on the river to reach an agreement.
Mayor John Suthers explained that the proposed annexation of 3,200 acres east of Fountain, known as Amara, led Colorado Springs Utilities to take a closer look at how many people it can serve. Lauren Boebert, a full-fledged Republican whose constituency spans the Colorado River just downstream from its source to the border with Utah, told Colorado Politics in an email that she will continue to fight for Coloradans. The Colorado River Water Conservation District (River District) believes that both the state of Colorado and the federal government have important roles and responsibilities in water planning and development. To help Coloradans conserve water, Colorado Springs Utilities has many online resources available for those interested in learning how to conserve water, including free gardening workshops on efficient water use.
For example, Colorado Springs Utilities, Monument, and six groundwater districts began working last year to see if they could reuse groundwater. Numerous neighborhoods in El Paso County depend on dwindling groundwater and may need water from Colorado Springs Utilities in the future. In keeping with its mission to lead the protection, conservation, use and development of the water resources of the Colorado River Basin, the Colorado River Water Conservation District (Colorado River District) works to protect the viability of the Colorado River and its tributaries for all beneficial consumptive and non-consumptive uses within its boundaries. The River District also supports the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program (Recovery Program) and its goal to recover fish species listed as endangered while allowing historic water use and water development to continue in accordance with state law and Colorado's rights under various pacts.
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