Helping Colorado Meet its Future Water Needs

With Colorado expected to add more than 1.5 million additional residents by 2050, meeting their water needs will be a major challenge.  The situation is further complicated by the issues facing the Colorado River which is essential to the water needs of Colorado, other southwestern states and northern New Mexico. BBC has provided analysis to multiple agencies and organizations tackling these challenges, offering insights on potential solutions to ensure sustainable water resources for the future.

For example, BBC continues to assist the State of Colorado through our work on the Colorado Water Plan and subsequent specialized assignments. For the latest edition of the Water Plan, BBC’s roles included development of long-term state, basin and county population projections under multiple scenarios; evaluation of existing water markets and potential enhancements, evaluation of public attitudes and values concerning water in Colorado and examination of potential economic impacts from future agricultural, municipal and industrial water shortages.

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Since the publication of the Water Plan, BBC has continued to assist the Colorado Water Conservation Board with more specialized studies focusing on the economics and potential water savings from incentive programs encouraging replacement of bluegrass turf with native grasses and plants and on the key role of conservation-based water rates in helping to reduce outdoor water use. We have also worked with water management agencies and irrigators on Colorado’s Western Slope to examine the benefits and costs of programs seeking to reduce agricultural irrigation through voluntary, short-term demand management programs.