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Interbasin Compact Committee <br />x <br />Colorado's Water Supply Future <br />„Zr11O Vision Exercise <br />COI <br />Vision <br />MPART'MENFOF If ive let Colorado's water supph' continue to develop according to current trends and <br />NATURAL <br />KESOUic FS existing police, what will our state look like in 50 years? Is this our vision of the future <br />of Colorado? Is this future inei-italAe? If it is not, what can and should we do to effect <br />changes? These are questions the Interl)aslil C onlpact oninlittee (IBCC) is addressing <br />through their water supply i-isioning exercise. <br />The purpose of the IBCC's visioning exercise is to dei-elop a vision statement for <br />Colorado's water sllpph future that recognizes the difficult Welter supply tradeoffs <br />facing the state. The i-lsioilnlg process will also eN•ahiate water sulppl?" strategies for <br />achieving this vision. <br />1. Colorado needs to provide an adequate water supply for our citizens and the <br />environment. In doing so, the status quo approach to water supply will not lead to a <br />desirable future for Colorado. <br />2. Water supply in Colorado is transitioning from an era of undeveloped resources to an era <br />of managing a developed resource. Future water decisions will increasingly involve <br />reallocating water between uses. <br />3. Water is not an independent issue. Colorado's water supply future is tied to the larger <br />economic, demographic, and cultural trends of our state. <br />4. A range of strategies are needed help meet our state's consumptive and nonconsumptive <br />water supply needs. These include a combination of demand side strategies such as <br />conservation, supply side strategies such as storage and agricultural transfers, and <br />regional coordination strategies. <br />5. The IBCC should work with the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to examine <br />the trade-offs, risks, and uncertainties associated with different strategies and <br />combination of strategies. <br />6. A statewide vision statement should be developed in combination with an evaluation of <br />water supply strategies.