Colorado Drafts Plan to Protect Its Water

With demand increasing across the West, Colorado is drawing up a strategy to keep some of the trillions of gallons of water that gushes out of the Rocky Mountains every spring—most of which flows downstream to drought-stricken California, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico.

The Colorado plan was submitted to Gov. Hickenlooper (D) in December, reported StamfordAdvocate.com. A final version, expected in late 2015, will propose related legislation.

Nearly 4.6 trillion gallons of water originates in Colorado every year, mostly from prodigious snowstorms high in the Rockies. Two-thirds of it belongs to users in downstream states, including California, under a collection of interstate agreements and court rulings. The other third is available to Colorado users under a system of water rights, which are considered property that can be bought and sold.

Colorado wants to ensure that its farms, wildlife and rapidly growing cities have enough water in the decades to come. It has pledged to provide downstream states every gallon they’re legally entitled to, but not a drop more. S