John Stulp, Special Advisor to the Governor for Water and Interbasin Compact Committee Director, discusses Colorado’s water supply challenges and the Colorado Water Plan.
John Stulp, Special Advisor to the Governor for Water and Interbasin Compact Committee Director, penned a commentary, published on October 25, making a case for the Colorado Water Plan. Stulp begins with an axiom about the necessity of water for all of Colorado’s regions and values and a presentation of the problem: a projected gap between supply and demand that could exceed 500,000 AF per year. If not addressed, this gap would have statewide impacts and is expected to be particularly devastating in rural areas because of the “buy-and-dry” of agriculture.
But Colorado, which known for developing innovative solutions to water problems, has work in progress to address the problem and provide a secure water supply across the state. Under Executive Order D 2013-005, signed by Governor John Hickenlooper on May 14, 2013, the Colorado Water Conservation Board is developing the Colorado Water Plan, which must promote certain economic, land use and environmental objectives.
Because the plan, for which a draft is due out near the end of 2014, builds on the work done for the Statewide Water Supply Initiative and the stakeholder-driven Interbasin Compact Committee, it is expected to be consensus-oriented and balanced.