In the past, the Pueblo Board of Water Works has reached to the other side of the Continental Divide to find new sources of water, and has acquired ditches in the neighborhood to meet its demand for water. In 2007, the water board returned to looking closer to home in an effort to balance its water rights in the Arkansas Valley with water imported from the West Slope. As part of a 100-year plan to meet projected needs, the water board announced in October its intent to purchase a controlling interest in the Bessemer Ditch. Part of the reason was to prevent the sale of the ditch to cities outside the county. The plan was proposed as a way for both communities to meet future water needs and to use water already in the valley. The water board’s ultimate water supply is about 60 percent from the West Slope, and Pueblo West relies even more heavily on transmountain water supplies. After a meeting with shareholders of the ditch, the water board still is deciding on when to begin purchasing options.

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