Water Preservation Spotlighted in Front Range Special Election
A recent vote shows the growing importance of water preservation for communities affected by urban growth and facing pressure on local agriculture.
Earlier this month, voters in Colorado Springs overwhelmingly rejected a proposed annexation that would have added more than 1,800 acres to the southeastern side of the city. Opponents of the annexation gathered more than 19,000 signatures to force a special election that overturned a previous city council decision by roughly a four-to-one margin.
The proposal ignited a fierce debate about how growth should occur in Colorado’s second-largest city amid concerns about the added strain on water resources and impacts to agriculture and communities in the Lower Arkansas River Basin. The Lower Arkansas Water Conservancy District was joined by several cities and counties throughout southeastern Colorado urging Colorado Springs to carefully consider the consequences to Lower Arkansas Valley’s economy, water quality, environment, cultural heritage and rural way of life because of water departing from their local communities. Those concerns are being heard more statewide.
Northern Water is encouraged by the message sent by the Arkansas Basin and Colorado Springs voters to consider more carefully how urban areas can grow thoughtfully, while considering the impacts that local land- and water-use decisions may have on agriculture, the economy and future opportunities in distant communities.
Northeastern Colorado faces similar challenges associated with water departing our region for the eastern and southern fringes of the Denver Metro area. This is why Northern Water continues to pursue efforts to safeguard water resources for the benefit of the region.
