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i? Water in 2025 Beliefs and Values as a Means for Cooperation, Lynn Katheleen, January 2006 <br />Three areas of overwhelming agreement: <br />1. Water is fundamental to the economy <br />2. An appropriated right does not mean water will be available for use <br />3. Agricultural water is the prime target for water transfers to urban and recreational uses <br />Five beliefs held by a majority of participants: <br />1. Money has become the means for allocating water <br />2. The market is not always the appropriate method f or allocating water <br />3. Protecting existing individual water rights is important <br />4. Water court decisions have been favorable to agricultural interests, a belief held by those inside <br />and outside the agricultural community <br />5. Current water law is quite functional <br />Five areas of disagreement: <br />1. The "use it or lose it" doctrine is seen by some to encourage wasteful use of water, while others <br />believe it has no detrimental impact. <br />2. There is strong division of opinion on whether there is a connection between land use and water <br />planning. <br />3. Some respondents believe the recent drought proved the inadequacies of the current water <br />system, while some felt just the opposite. <br />4. Some respondents think there is plenty of water if used wisely, while others see a shortage and <br />think new water needs to be developed. <br />There is significant disagreement as to whether or not environmental claims have limited legal <br />recognition. <br />DU Water Futures Panel <br />The DU Water Futures Panel identified eight key priorities: <br />1. Embrace fairness, trust, respect, and openness in water supply planning <br />2. Encourage water conservation <br />3. Encourage partnerships between urban and agricultural water users <br />4. Eradication of non-native phreatophytes <br />5. Streamlining water court <br />6. Encouraging statewide perspective on water storage and infrastructure projects <br />7. Facilitating cooperation between river basins <br />8. Planning for potential climate change and drought <br />?i CO 64 Principles - Included in the IBCC Charter as Guiding Principles <br />1. All Colorado water users must share in solving Colorado's water resource problems. <br />2. The State of Colorado should provide assistance, when requested, for local water supply <br />planning and assist in the implementation of consensus-based water resource solutions that <br />respect local authorities, private property, and water rights. <br />3. During the process of planning to meet future needs, water suppliers and utilities should give <br />preference to development of economically viable local water sources and demand management <br />as they consider other options, including development of new water transfers. <br />4. Additional water storage should be pursued through the improvement and rehabilitation of <br />existing structures and the development of new structures. These activities should be <br />accomplished with local consensus. <br />14