Since the turn of the century, Colorado River water storage has been declining rapidly leading up to an important question: who gets the water?
Join the Ridgway-Ouray Community Council and Doug Kenney, director of the Western Water Policy Program at the University of Colorado Law School, for the ROCC talk, “The Colorado River & Water Scarcity — Who Gets the Water?” on Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Sherbino Theatre, 604 Clinton St., Ridgway
The talk begins at 7 p.m. with refreshments and conversation at 6:45 p.m. Admission is $5 for non-ROCC members and free for members.
Kenney is a western water policy expert from the University of Colorado Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment. He researches, writes and lectures on a variety of western water issues, with a particular focus on the Colorado River. Kenney has served as a consultant to a variety of local, state, multi-state and federal agencies.
Water delivery “curtailments” to downstream states may occur as early as 2017, Kenney said. Looking longer-term, the demands on the river are expected to continue exceeding the natural supply, further intensifying the long-standing competition for water among states and water-using sectors, and potentially requiring cuts for uses in upstream states including Colorado.
“Water users in western Colorado depend upon Colorado River supplies that are also coveted by both downstream users and upstream users, including urban and agricultural interests on the Front Range,” Kenney said. “The key legal and political question is: Can western Colorado protect and skillfully manage those supplies in the future?”
Offered by the Ridgway-Ouray Community Council, ROCC Talks take place on the third Thursday of even-numbered months. ROCC is a nonprofit, all-volunteer community organization whose mission is to build, nourish and protect the healthy spirit of our community. ROCC is dedicated to quality of life issues that will help shape the future of Ouray County. This talk is offered with support from the Office for Outreach and Engagement at the University of Colorado Boulder.
For more information about ROCC, visit http://www.roccnet.org.