Gov. John Hickenlooper’s 2013 order to create a statewide strategic plan for water supplies has brought together business interests, federal lobbyists and water basin districts to try to hash out a way to keep the taps running in the future. Two major business groups are leading roundtables throughout the state to inform industry and entrepreneurs about what the Colorado Water Plan means for the stateís economy.In May 2013, Hickenlooper issued an executive order requesting that the Colorado Water Conservation Board submit a draft Colorado Water Plan by Dec. 10, 2014. The plan must incorporate ìa productive economy that supports vibrant and sustainable cities, viable and productive agriculture, and a robust skiing, recreation, and tourism industry.îBusiness town hall meetings have been held by the Colorado Competitive Council, a statewide affiliate of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and Accelerate Colorado, a federal lobbying group created by a partnership of local governments and businesses on the Front Range.Bryan Blakely, president of Accelerate Colorado, said his organization has been focusing on educating the business community about the long federal process for getting water projects approved. ìWe think it’s a great thing that the governor has this strategic plan process in place since Colorado doesn’t have one yet,î Blakely said.The two organizations worked together to create a paper titled ìColorado Business Community Water Policy Principles,î which outlined six points they want to see in the water plan to protect business interests. ìThe water policy principles are what we believe should be in the governor’s plan ultimately,î said Mizraim Cordero, director of the CCC. ìThe business community is united and committed to finding an equitable plan.îìWe’re hopeful that all those principles will get included,î Blakely said. ìBut there’s an emphasis on transparency and predictability. We’re not looking at how to tell the water providers how to provide water, because that’s not our expertise. We want a holistic approach that includes conservation and building out of some infrastructure. The growing population means we will face shortages.îAccording to the State Water Supply Initiative 2010 key findings, cited in Hickenlooper’s order, there will be a 600,000 to 1-million-acre-feet shortfall per year in municipal and industrial water by 2050. The study specifically refers to El Paso County, which will need to replace 35,000-acre-feet of groundwater use with a renewable water supply because of reliability and sustainability concerns for the deep aquifers used by consumers like the Falcon metropolitan districts.Accelerate Colorado is working toward having water storage infrastructure projects included in the long term plan. ìA certain amount of water that belongs to Colorado is leaving the state,î Blakely said, referring to the 1922 Colorado River Compact, which distributes claims on water among the seven states along the river. ìColorado will face a demand conflict with the other states so we need to get our own house in order as well as we can so when we face those battles down the road, we’re prepared. If we have the infrastructure projects built out, we can take advantage of huge storms and wet years and store the water.îìWe’d like to see the governor lean on the federal government to move a bit faster on approving state projects,î Cordero said. ìThe governor’s plan is not going to be a silver bullet.îNeither of the groups have had reports of businesses leaving Colorado or deciding not to relocate here because of water issues ñ and they want to keep it that way. ìOur goal is that we don’t have any times that businesses move or don’t locate here because of a lack of water or water expense,î Blakely said.ìWe have a few more meetings in the queue,î Cordero said. ìOnce we finish the meetings in July, we will put together a white paper and collect signatures from those who provided input. We will then send the white paper to the governor and the Water Conservation Board by August.îA final plan might not be completed by the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the governor’s office until December 2015.
