9369 ‎(2)‎

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9369
• Author: Colorado Water Workshop.
• Title: 12th & 13th Annual Colorado Water Workshop.
• USFW Year: 1987.
• USFW - Doc Type: Western State College of Colorado.
• Copyright Material: NO

Colorado water policy has built upon this constitutional

foundation. Since, as a practical matter, individual decisions

are not made in a vacuum, there is ample opportunity for the

state, competing water users, and interest groups to influence

project development. One must look beyond the constitution, to

the body of statutes and case law which have evolved to shape

Colorado's water policy. Although Colorado has taken what some

perceive to be a cautious and conservative approach to water

development policy, such a policy does exist. It has evolved to

meet new challenges, and can be adopted to effectively take

advantage of and create new opportunities.

State and federal statutes have created numerous agencies and

districts to formulate and implement water policy. These enti-

ties reflect the state's response to changing conditions in the

water policy arena. As new issues emerge, new agencies have

evolved. Among these entities are the Colorado Water

Conservation Board, the State Engineer, the Division of wildlife,

the Groundwater COlnmission, the Water Quality Control Commission,

the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority,

various compact commissions, the Colorado Salinity Control Forum,

and water conservation and conservancy districts. Although the

state should continually reassess the relevancy of any particular

agency, each entity has been designed to fulfill a role in state

water policy. Surprisingly enough, they even communicate .with

each other and attempt to achieve compatible goals.

Up until the mid-l960's, the state developed three basic

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