In what both sides of the Continental Divide hope will be a historic settlement to their water disputes, an agreement to share water resources has been reached. The settlement comes in the midst of a large mediation effort between several water agencies aimed at solving a number of complex issues affecting the future of water in Colorad

In the 1960s, the city and county of Denver bought up water rights on the Western Slope, including hundreds of thousands of acres in the Vail Valley. To keep water though, you have to use it--or at least prepare to use it in the future. Hoarding unneeded water isn't allowed in Colorado.