The fallout of the 416 Fire is an example of how hotter, drier conditions due to climate change are making it tougher to plan water supplies in Colorado.
There are currently fishing restrictions – some voluntary, some mandatory – on eight rivers in Colorado because of low flows and high water temperatures.
Colorado is expected to warm 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050 due to climate change, according to a Western Water Assessment study.
The Statewide Water Supply Initiative, which previously predicted Colorado will run out of water in 2050, began in 2016.
The project is known as the San Juan Headwaters Project, and previously Dry Gulch.
“It doesn’t create any new water.” Instead, Burk said water managers need to be thinking about new ideas for conservation and efficiency.
Most of the money for water conservation projects comes from the state’s tax on oil and gas production, known as the severance tax.
As a result, funding specifically for the Colorado Water Plan was slashed this year from $10 million to $7 million.
Sen. Don Coram, a Republican from Montrose who serves on the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy Committee, mentioned a water bottle tax, a 25-cent per-thousand-gallon water meter surcharge, and a sales tax as potential other sources of revenue.
Even so, Eric Kuhn, a retired manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District, said compacts are only agreements to agree.