14b

• Board Meeting Date: 9/17/2008
• Description: Director's Report - IBCC Director - IBCC Visioning Process
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Inter assn Com act Committee
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4~ ~~ ~ .r-~ s~ Co ora o s Water Su Future
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Vision Exercise
Vision
1)~l~AI~rME~lr ~~~ If we let Colorado's water supply continue to develop according to current trends and
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,5!~~~~~~F~ existing policy, what will our state look like in 5o years? Is this our vision of the future
of Colorado? Is this future inevitable? If it is not, what can and should we do to effect
changes? These are questions the Interbasin Compact Committee (IBCC) is addressing
through their water supply visioning exercise.
The purpose of the IBCC's visioning exercise is to develop a vision statement f or
Colorado's water supply future that recognizes the difficult water supply tradeoffs
facing the state. The visioning process will also evaluate water supply strategies f or
achieving this vision.
After two rounds of discussions, the IBCC generally agrees that:
1. Colorado needs to provide an adequate water supply for our citizens and the
environment. In doing so, the status quo approach to water supply will not lead to a
desirable future for Colorado.
2. Water supply in Colorado is transitioning from an era of undeveloped resources to an era
of managing a developed resource. Future water decisions will increasingly involve
reallocating water between uses,
3. Water is not an independent issue. Colorado's water supply future is tied to the larger
economic, demographic, and culturaltrendsof our state,
4. A range of strategies are needed help meet our state's consumptive and nonconsumptive
water supply needs. These include a combination of demand side strategies such as
conservation, supply side strategies such as storage and agricultural transfers, and
regional coordination strategies.
5. The IBCC should work with the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to examine
the trade-offs, risks, and uncertainties associated with different strategies and
combination of strategies.
6. A statewide vision statement should be developed in combination with an evaluation of
water supply strategies.