Water Preservation Leads Topics of Discussion at Fall Water Symposium
Some Colorado communities have already seen the damaging effects of dried-up land and struggling economies due to water exports. By 2050, Colorado could lose 1,000 square miles of irrigated farmland now used for food production to meet population growth demands.
That was the message from panelists at the Oct. 30 Fall Water Symposium hosted by Northern Water at the Embassy Suites in Loveland. Nearly 400 attendees from across the water community gathered to hear from panelists and speakers who addressed threats of water leaving Northeastern Colorado, the challenges of growth and other topics. Panelists included Brad Wind, Northern Water General Manager; Lee Miller, general counsel for Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District; Heather Dutton, manager for the San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District; and Pat Wells, Water Strategy Specialist, Northern Water.
Leading off the Symposium was a presentation about the history of water resource development in Northeastern Colorado followed by a panel discussion on concepts that may influence the preservation of native water supplies.
A panel spoke at the Oct. 30, 2024, Fall Water Symposium about water preservation.
Presenters from the Arkansas River Basin and the San Luis Valley talked about the challenges those regions face as a result of pressures to remove water from their communities, as well as solutions crafted to help retain this essential economic building block for generations to come.
Northern Water plans to continue this important conversation as increasing pressure mounts from entities outside of Northeastern Colorado looking to export appropriated water far beyond the present-day uses and benefits enjoyed for well over a century in the northern Front Range and counties to the east.
