Here's a report from yesterday's Colorado Water Congress from the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article, "Gov. Bill Ritter and newly appointed Colorado Department of Natural Resources Director Harris Sherman for the first time outlined their water agenda Thursday before the Colorado Water Congress, saying they want to see the state's water basin roundtables succeed. Sherman and Ritter are taking a wait-and-see approach to the basin roundtables as they learn more about how the groups operate. Once that's done, Sherman said he'll make a recommendation to Ritter regarding the roundtables' future...
"Ritter outlined four core principals of his administration's water agenda for Colorado: Conservation; reuse; shared water use; and additional water storage. Conservation, he said, involves educating Front Range residents how to use less water and reminding Coloradans it's 'a scarce resource.' Reuse means recapturing water a city has used so it can be used multiple times before it leaves the state, he said. Ritter, in a written statement [pdf] on the Colorado Water Congress' Web site, said he supports expanding and improving existing water storage facilities before new ones are built. He said he supports shared-use in the form of crop fallowing, which would allow cities to use agricultural water, generating revenue for agricultural communities. Ritter and Sherman said eradicating invasive, water-gulping tamarisk trees are important to conserving water in Colorado. Sherman said if the trees disappeared from the state, Colorado could save up to 150,000 acre-feet of water."
It's worth noting that Governor Ritter didn't repeat his statement from a couple of weeks ago where he was quoted by the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel as saying, "I believe the days of the transmountain diversion are over." 
More coverage from the Glenwood Springs Post Independent (free registration required). They write, "In his first major policy statement on water, Gov. Bill Ritter said Thursday a system designed to work out disagreements among users in different parts of the state is getting mixed reviews and he wants to find a way to improve it. Ritter's director of natural resources, Harris Sherman, said backers of three or four major water projects have bypassed the system and are working on their own deals...
"Sherman said the roundtables have succeeded in bringing warring factions together to work on water issues, but he said it's time to start creating solutions. 'There are some issues and concerns I have about this process,' Sherman said. He said it is unclear how the committees work with other water policymakers, including the Colorado Water Conservation Board, which funds major water projects. 'It may be a matter of concern if this is the best vehicle,' he said. The lawmaker who proposed the roundtable system, Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, said a turf battle is under way between the roundtables and the Water Conservation Board. A spokesman for the board did not return a call. Penry said he support's Ritter's decision to study ways to improve the process but believes the governor will keep the basin roundtables."
Category: Colorado Water
5:53:13 AM 
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