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Executive Summary <br />T11e Colorado Ag Water Alliance is an association of agricultural organizations <br />conlnutted to the preservation of irrigated agriculture through the wise use of <br />Colorado's water resources. Agriculture in Colorado currently owns and manages the <br />nlajority of tlle state's water rights, placulg this water to beneficial use for the production <br />of our food, feed, fiber, and bioenergy crops. There is a public perception that <br />implementation of agricultliral water conservation measures such as canal lining and <br />conversion to sprinklers can easily provide additional water supplies to nleet growing <br />demands for urban, industrial, recreation, and environmental water needs u1 Colorado. <br />To address tllese perceptions, an ailalysis of tlle current scientific literature and fl1e <br />adininistrative precedents in Colorado was undertaken to identify the opportunities and <br />challenges associated with irrigation water conservation. This document is not a legal <br />brief; it is intended to help foster dialog and a b eater understanding of the challenges <br />facing irrigated agricultl.ire u1 Colorado. <br />Under current laws and custonls, opportunities for <br />producuzg significant anlounts of transferable water for <br />nlunicipal and industrial (M&I) uses through agricultural <br />conservation nleasures are constrained by certain <br />physical, legal and economic factors. W11en considering <br />the potential for ab icultural water conservation, it is <br />~ -~ _. - important to understand the distinctions between saved <br />`~-~- -~ ~ ~ and salvaged water, as opposed to water that is made <br />~ ~ ~ ~~~ ° ~~~ ~ ~~ ~ . ~,~ available by reducing the consunlptive use fronl irrigated <br />°;~ ,,~~:, ~ ~ ~~ ~~ crops. Muc11 of the debate over water conservation <br />uldicates that imprecise use of ternunology creates <br />confusion and often obscures the real policy considerations. Saved and salvaged water, <br />as currently construed in Colorado, do not include the concept of water potentially <br />conserved through the reduction of crop consmnptive use. A new ternl, Conserved <br />Consi~mptive Lise Water, is proposed to describe water that is part of the consumptive <br />use of a water right that is renloved fronl an irrigated croppuzg system. The transfer of <br />this water, while possible under Colorado water law, has not yet been tested in water <br />court or codified by the legislature. <br />Approximately one-tllird of Colorado's irrigated acres have already been converted to <br />nlore efficient sprulkler or drip systems. In particular, irrigators who rely on deep or <br />nonrenewable groundwater already have significant incentive for water conservation. <br />Reduculg fl1e anlount of grouildwater pumped decreases energy costs as it prolongs the <br />econonuc life of aquifers. Many Colorado fariners have switched to irrigation systenls <br />with enhancements such as drop nozzles, low-pressure delivery systenls, irrigation <br />scheduling, nuninlunl tillage, and other techniques to improve on-farm efficiency and <br />reduce punlpulg requirenlents. <br />Water conservation nleasures, such as converting to nlore efficient irrigation systems, <br />also have sib zificant linutations. A prinlary factor is that the anlount of water legally <br />DRAFT ES-1 <br />