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Executive Summary constantly look for new ways to supply their customers with a reliable source of water to meet their daily needs. Colorado benefited from some relatively wet years in the latter part of the 20th century that, to some extent, masked the full impact of these changes. That ended with the new millennium and the onset of one of the most serious droughts that Colorado has faced since well before it became a state. Reservoir levels hit record lows in 2002 and have yet to fully recover. Municipal water providers across the state were forced to implement significant water use restrictions, and there is concern about the ability of our rivers to supply downstream states with their compact requirements. Agriculture, recreation, municipalities, and the environment suffered serious hardship. Looking forward, it is hard to predict what Colorado will look like in the coming decades. We do know, however, that 2.8 million more people are expected to call Colorado home by the year 2030. Most of these new residents, almost 2.4 million, will live along the Front Range, but the greatest percentage increases will be seen in the Western Slope and mountain communities. We know these new residents will need water, more water than can be delivered today. Conservation will play an important role, but conservation alone cannot meet all these requirements. New storage projects will be needed and must be pursued, but these can take years or even decades to permit and construct and their success is uncertain. In this setting, cities will increasingly look to agricultural water to meet their needs, creating impacts on rural Colorado that need to be recognized and addressed. Against this backdrop of change and drought, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) determined that it was important to understand and prepare for our long-term water needs. Beginning in 2001, the CWCB, through its strategic planning process, became very proactive in determining how Colorado uses water, how it will use water in the future, and evaluating how well we are prepared for drought. In 2001 to 2002, CWCB held a series of ineetings in each river basin (shown in Figure ES-1) to outline basic issues on water use in Colorado. This effort culminated in the development of Basin Specific Fact Sheets. Later in 2002, a second set of fact ~~ sheets were developed outlining water use, growth, and water demand. These initial efforts were designed to help Coloradans better understand how we are using our water supplies and to begin to understand major issues regarding water resource management and development. In 2001, CWCB also began to think about conducting an assessment of our drought preparedness. This effort culminated in the completion of the Drought and Water Supply Assessment in February 2004. These previous efforts produced valuable information and set the stage for a more comprehensive and complete analysis of water supply and demands throughout Colorado. The data and information from these studies helped guide the development of what would become known as the Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI). With the approval of the 2003 General Assembly, CWCB commissioned SWSI, an 18-month study to explore, basin by basin, existing water supplies and existing and projected demands through the year 2030, as well as a range of potential options to meet that demand. This information will help local communities and water providers as they work to plan, manage, and efficiently use Colorado's surface and groundwater resources. Water has long been a divisive issue in the West, and thus it was important for this study to establish certain ground rules at the very outset. ~~ Sfvtewide Woter Supoly Initiofive ES-2 S:\REPORT\WORD PROCESSING\REPORT\EXEC SUMMARY 11-10-04.DOC Figure ES-1 Co/orado's Eight Major River Basins