Colorado Mesa University's Water Center teamed up with the Colorado River District to host a State of the Rivers meeting Monday night. One outcomes was a discussion about the yearly draining the Colorado River endures and the possible consequences thereafter.

The Colorado River Water Conservation District (CRWCD) released their new book, Water Wrangling,

It’s too early to panic, everyone agrees. But with this season of snowfall off to a lackluster start, water managers, utilities and agricultural interests all are anxious for the kind of storms that can lead next spring to refilled reservoirs and recharged watersheds after a year of drought.

“The River District” is the familiar name for the Colorado River Water Conservation District, which is now completing three-quarters of a century of “conservation of the water of the Colorado River in Colorado,” as its 1937 originating legislation put it. Glenwood Springs attorney and rancher Frank Delaney authored that legislation.

The Colorado River Water Conservation District (CRWCD) also celebrates their 75^th anniversary th

Reservoirs are water savings accounts. Largely, they operate to catch snowmelt for use later in the summer — but are big enough to build a nest egg for future drought years. If you like to brush your teeth, shower, eat and water your lawn, you are a water user, dependent on this system so necessary in arid Colorado. So how are the reservoirs holding up in this drought year?

Even though the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement has not been executed by all parties, Denver Water and the Colorado River Water Conservation District have provided some of the benefits promised. The U.S. Forest Service “bypass” flows to the Fraser River can be reduced if Denver Water institutes restrictions.

“Past, Present and Future” is the theme of the Colorado River District's Annual Water Seminar set for 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, at the Two Rivers Convention Center in Grand Junction. The cost to attend is $25 and includes morning coffee, pastries and a lunch.

The Colorado River Basin, a group of leading advocacy organizations, is launching a new campaign to urge the region's urban communities to do their part to put the Colorado River on a sustainable path after this drought year.