In Colorado, life is written in water. Since taking office as Attorney General nearly eight years ago, protecting Colorado’s land, air, and water and increasing our state’s capacity to tackle water-related challenges has been one of my top priorities. And as we look forward, Colorado faces existential water challenges that will be at the heart of the future of our state. Addressing them will be one of the most important jobs of our next Governor—and I am ready to tackle them.
During my recent address to the Colorado Water Congress at their summer conference in Steamboat Springs, I had the opportunity to discuss the last eight years and the important work still ahead to protect Colorado’s lifeblood, our water. Part of that work, as was emphasized at the conference, is protecting forest health, preventing wildfires, and ensuring that we keep our water secure.
Fighting to Protect and Prioritize Colorado’s Water
We have made important strides in protecting and prioritizing Colorado’s water. As we continue to grapple with drought conditions, interstate compact negotiations and disagreements, and the need to invest in our water infrastructure and develop smart innovations, we must redouble our commitment to ensuring that Colorado is equipped with the necessary resources and the right team. I am proud that we made significant progress toward doing just that.
To understand how to move forward on water, I have worked hard to join Coloradans across the state to listen and learn. At town halls from Durango to Julesburg and Craig to La Junta, I joined community members to listen to their concerns and ideas. And I appointed the Department of Law’s first rural outreach director to ensure we are engaging regularly with communities across the state, even when not on the road. Through this consistent engagement and dialogue, we have gained a deep understanding of each part of our state’s distinct concerns and challenges, especially when it comes to water.
I learned from Colorado leaders like John Stulp that buy-and-dry schemes that take water from rural communities like Crowley County and ship them to urban areas are not how we should manage water in Colorado. That tragic example is one reason why I spoke out loudly against a similar scheme to ship water from the San Luis Valley to the Front Range. Our social contract means we can’t take water from rural communities, robbing them of their livelihood and jobs, to benefit new sprawling growth in the metro area.
Looking Ahead: Tackling Existential Challenges for Colorado’s Water Future
As we look toward the water challenges and goals that lie ahead, we find ourselves at a critical juncture. Amid a historically dry year and record-breaking low levels of snowpack, the time to develop creative, win-win solutions for the future is now. At the same time, we face several challenges under our interstate compacts.
I’m frustrated by Nebraska’s decision to bring a lawsuit against Colorado under the South Platte River Compact, and in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to allow the case to go forward. But the fact remains that Colorado is complying with the South Platte River Compact and not unlawfully interfering with Nebraska’s efforts to build the Perkins County Canal, which it has failed to do for the last 100 years because of the technical and financial risks involved. Nebraska’s burden to prove its claims is incredibly high, and we will vigorously defend Colorado’s full rights and interests under the compact.
As we continue working toward long‑term stability on the Colorado River, I remain concerned that recent federal proposals lack the clarity and predictability our water users need. We’ve made clear that operational decisions cannot be governed by uncertainty—we need guidelines rooted in reliable tools, transparent processes, and respect for the Law of the River. Colorado will continue insisting on operational frameworks that genuinely support drought resilience, protect Colorado’s communities, and ensure that every basin state can make reasoned, long‑term decisions. We must not be afraid to either make the right deal for our future or to reject wrong-headed or illegal options.
We face a challenging road ahead—and we must meet those challenges together. That’s why, as I work hard to earn your support to continue serving Colorado, I am committed to not only making this a top priority as your governor, but to also ensuring we have the infrastructure for our state government to prioritize this critical resource. That means that I will assemble a high-functioning team in my administration that will make addressing our water management challenges a top priority. This team will include not only those working on water at the Department of Natural Resources, but also leadership at our Department of Agriculture, Governor’s Office, and building out our bench to place greater emphasis and resources on protecting our water and on rural affairs.
Conserving water will also be essential as we look ahead, and we will need new tools and flexible strategies that support our agricultural communities. In particular, voluntary, practical options that give water users more flexibility and provide compensation for water conservation efforts will be important strategies to strengthen basin-wide resilience and help stabilize critical reservoirs like Lake Powell—without changing underlying water rights or resorting to harmful “buy-and-dry” tactics. Other tools, such as water reuse programs, incentives for drought-resistant crops and places to sell them, and programs that help homeowners shift to low-water landscapes can further stretch Colorado’s limited supply while supporting local economies.
At the same time, securing Colorado’s water future will require investing in the infrastructure that makes conservation meaningful. Even as we expand voluntary, flexible programs, we must pair those efforts with smart storage solutions that allow us to capture the benefits of conserved water and provide needed “slack capacity” during dry periods. Greeley’s Terry Ranch Project, which utilizes underground water storage in deep aquifers, is a great example of how thoughtful infrastructure can multiply the impact of conservation. And by using our investment dollars efficiently and embracing emerging technologies, we can design projects that deliver multiple benefits at once. The Maybell Diversion Project, for example, uses remote headgate operations that not only improve how agricultural diversions are managed, but also enhances environmental conditions, enables fish passage, and expands recreational opportunities. When developed hand‑in‑hand with water users and local communities, these kinds of innovative, multi‑benefit projects become essential tools for our future and deserve continued support.
To that end, we must prioritize funding the Colorado Water Plan at scale and invest meaningfully in Colorado’s future, especially as we face continued federal funding cuts. The General Assembly’s investment of using sports betting revenues to fund the Water Plan is a good start, but far more is needed to meet the Plan’s estimated required funding of $3 billion, at a pace of $100 million annually. We must also build capacity within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to increase water quality monitoring and to ensure we can act quickly on permitting decisions, utilize funds allocated to water projects, and ensure these projects can move forward. These improvements are part of my broader commitment, as our next Governor, to make our government work for all of us in a way that is responsive, oriented to serve all of us, collaborative, and innovative.
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It is important to recognize the need for careful, dedicated coordination at the statewide level given the complexity, urgency, and interwoven nature of these efforts. In the past, leaders like John Stulp have risen to this challenge to help serve Colorado, and we will need similar leadership to guide us into the next chapter of Colorado’s water. I am committed to bringing that leadership as your next Governor—and I promise that, as your Governor, water will be a top-level priority for our state government and my administration.