HomeMy WebLinkAboutbocc.res.072.2015 RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF PITKIN COUNTY, COLORADO
SUPPORTING THE DRAFT COLORADO'S WATER
PLAN CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
RESOLUTION NO. O.,L -2015
1. WHEREAS, the collective Colorado River Basin is the "heart" of
Colorado. The basin holds the headwaters of the Colorado River that form the mainstem
of the river, some of the state's most significant agriculture, the largest West Slope city
and a large, expanding energy industry; and
2. WHEREAS, the Colorado Basin is home to the most-visited national
forest and much of Colorado's recreation-based economy, including significant river-
based recreation; and
3. WHEREAS, the collective Colorado Basin is the state's major"donor"
basin of water, providing between 450,000 to 600,000 acre-feet to farms and cities of
eastern Colorado. Climate change;West Slope Gaps, undefined environmental and
recreational needs and existing IPP's will likely take approximately 140,000 acre feet of
additional water, to be developed on the West Slope and Colorado Basin; and
4. WHEREAS, it has been rightfully stated that the past is no longer a guide
to the future, and the old paradigms in water supply no longer work. The notion that
increasing demands on the Front Range can always be met with a new supply from the
Colorado River, or any other river, are no longer valid. We must develop a plan that is
truly proactive, not reactive. We cannot afford to wait until crisis becomes the guide
behind our decisions; and
5. WHEREAS, compliance with the Colorado River Compacts is a statewide
responsibility because Colorado River users reside on both sides of the Continental
Divide. Existing users should not bear the risk of a compact curtailment caused by
overdevelopment of the remaining increment of the Colorado River. Compact
administration in the Colorado River Basin must be avoided. Impacts from a compact
curtailment, or strategies to avoid a compact curtailment, must be borne equitably by all
Colorado River users; and
6. WHEREAS, the Colorado River Basin Water Demand and Supply Study,
a collaboration of the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) and the seven basin states,
concluded that there would likely be an average shortfall of more than 3 million acre-feet
in the entire seven-state region by 2060. The Colorado River has already reached a point
where water supply is outstripped by water use.
7. WHEREAS, the four western slope roundtables envision a collective
Colorado River basin that is home to thriving communities benefiting from vibrant,
RESOLUTION NO.M/'-2015
healthy rivers and outstanding water quality that provides for all of the collective
Colorado and western slope needs.
8. WHEREAS, in consideration of the Colorado Water Plan that has been
mandated by Governor Hickenlooper, the Colorado River Basin Roundtable adopted the
following West Slope Principles:
a. Solutions in the Colorado Water Plan (CWP) to supply water for growth
and development in one part of the state should not over-ride land use plans and
regulations adopted by local governments in the part of the state from which water will
be taken.
b. The CWP should protect and not threaten the economic, environmental,
and social well-being of the West Slope.
c. The CWP should identify a process and requirements for each basin to
exhaust available water supply within its own basin before planning diversions from
another area of the state.
d. The CWP should outline mechanisms to mitigate the risk of potential
Compact curtailment of the Colorado River. For example, the CWP should adopt low-
risk legal and hydrologic assumptions related to Colorado's obligations under the
Colorado River Compact and the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact in order to
minimize the risk of curtailment on existing uses of Colorado River basin water.
e. The State should not assume a role as a proponent of a water project until
the State regulatory process has been completed and the project has been agreed to by the
impacted counties, conservancy districts and conservation districts in the area from which
water would be diverted.
9. WHEREAS, given the situation outlined by SWSI, the CWCB Climate
Change Report and the Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study, it would
• be unrealistic to look for significant new supplies of water for the East Slope from the
Colorado River as a primary source. Any further depletion of water from the Colorado
River increases the risk of a compact curtailment; and
10. WHEREAS, the Colorado Water Plan's Conceptual Framework and its
Seven Principles allows for input by local decision makers and the participation by all
affected parties; and
11. WHEREAS, the Colorado Water Plan's Conceptual Framework and its
Seven Principles is a proactive approach to difficult water supply issues and will allow
for collaborative solutions for all affected parties; and
NOW, THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of County
Commissioners support the draft Colorado Water Plan's Conceptual Framework for the
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RESOLUTION N0. '7 -2015
future consideration of any more transmountain diversions or major changes in the
operation of existing projects.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Colorado Water Plan's Conceptual
Framework should be considered for application to Identified Projects and Proposals
(IPP).
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Colorado Water Plan's Conceptual
Framework provides an effective process for the participation and agreement by all of the
affected and/or impacted county(s).
INTRODUCED, READ, AND ADOPTED ON THE 9TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2015.
ATT __T: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
By rAG/
By: F
Jean; e Jones / Steven F. Child, Chair
Depi y County Cler
Date: ct/(S_
/ C�
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