WATER

The Colorado Competitive Council has partnered with Accelerate Colorado to work with the business community to develop a set of water policy principles. Below is a draft of this policy

Water is of critical importance to Colorado businesses and our state’s economy. Colorado business leaders respect and appreciate the work that has been undertaken by the Governor, the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Basin Roundtables to form a Colorado Water Plan. Therefore, the Colorado business community will engage with the state’s policy makers as a long-term plan for Colorado’s water policy is developed.

A COLORADO WATER PLAN SHOULD RECOGNIZE:

  • Colorado requires efficient and reliable water to support its growth;  our state’s demographic trends make certain that water will remain a critical  long-term economic issue in Colorado, and we know that the success of our economy and our quality of life depend upon ensuring the sufficient availability of water;
  • We recognize the appropriation doctrine and do not prioritize one industry’s or one region’s use of water over another’s; each type of water use has its place in Colorado’s diverse economy;
  • Any future water projects should carefully balance the needs of Colorado’s economy; future water projects must benefit all aspects of water use in Colorado including business and industrial, agricultural, recreational, residential, etc.;
  • We support a balanced approach to water policy that includes conservation, efficiency and reuse strategies as well as increased storage capacity; Colorado’s water requirements necessitate an all-of-the-above approach;
  • The state regulatory processes must be efficient, cost effective and transparent; state water policy must ensure the availability of cost-effective solutions for water providers, especially since this can directly impact the cost of doing business in our state and inhibit sustainable economic development;
  • We are committed to being a part of the solution; the business community will actively participate in finding solutions that encourage more efficient and effective use of the water we have, develop necessary new and more efficient water infrastructure, and address the need to deal with variable weather patterns.

Download this draft policy here. 

Input from the Colorado business community is sought through August 2014. Please send your feedback to Accelerate Colorado at info@acceleratecolorado.com and Colorado Competitive Council at info@coloradocompetes.org.