IBCC Representative Comments

• Title: IBCC Representative Comments on Visioning
• Date: 3/6/2008
• Interbasin CC - Doc Type: Correspondence/Memos

Metro Basin
Doug Scott with input from Metro
Roundtable
Alternative
There are alternative futures that will be created based on decisions being made
today.
On one hand, if there is a strong push for growth control, we face a more regulated
and costly water future as the growth control advocates think that, if they can stop
water development then they will stop growth. Let's face it, we live and work in an
attractive environment and in our lifetimes there will always be growth. Is it a bad
thing? Not necessarily. I would not wish to live in a stagnate economy. Many parts of
the Midwest and South are experiencing little or no growth and the quality of life is
suffering greatly.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that growth, managed to build on the attributes which
brought us here, is almost a necessity. I do believe that we who are here benefit from
an vibrant economy and, to a large extent, the population growth that occurs within
that economy. If governments continue to make land use and infrastructure decisions
that directly add to the cost of living, we will eventually and adversely impact our
standard of living. I think this begs for balance.
Look to the impacts brought about by growth controls in Boulder. Only the upper
income groups can afford to live there. The service industry commutes (or spends a
significant portion of their income on rent) and without the University, the vibrancy of
youth would be gone. I do not mean to "dis" Boulder but, the impacts of growth control
are so apparent.
I suppose there has to be another hand. SWSI has identified future water needs.
Conservation is a key component but, will not answer our problem of water supply in
and of itself. Efficiency and reuse are realities with every water provider now. This is
especially true for the water providers in South Metro. Land use decisions have been
made - sometimes decades ago - that impact our need for water, both today and into
the future. As water providers, we have a moral and fiduciary responsibility to provide
a sustainable future for the people living here, now and in the future. The State has a
responsibility in this also. After all is said and done, we will need one or more major
water projects and those projects, unless we wish to see agricultural decline, will have
to come from the Colorado River basin. We are entitled to it under the compacts but
we seem to be our own worst enemy when it comes to its development.
Rome, which brought us the foundations of our language, our laws, and our culture,
became great because of its infrastructure. Not only its roads, its armies, its system of
government but, also its water system formed the foundation for a standard of living
never before seen. Ironically, Rome's downfall can also be attributed, to some extent,
to its water system. Infrastructure decay, lead in the pipes and pollution created an
unhealthy base from which to rule the known world. Today, our water infrastructure,
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