January 20, 2008--Is Colorado ready for new water laws? Two men offer their own ideas (Greeley Tribune)

Front Range residents Daniel Hayes and Gregory DiLorenzo are attempting to shed some light on water issues in Colorado by bringing forth a ballot initiative that would essentially revamp how the state uses water. If nothing is done -- if conservation efforts are not made -- DiLorenzo and Hayes say that the state's farms will continue to sell off their water to communities that will continue to grow unfettered. One day years from now, they and other conservationists predict, there will not be enough water for communities and crops. "There is a shared goal here, but is this the way to do that: a state mandate in the form of a constitutional amendment?" said Neil Grigg, a professor in Colorado State University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The measure would be an addition to the Colorado Water Conservation Act, 1991 legislation that required many communities to develop water-usage efficiency strategies. It would add several provisions that could turn off the tap for residential growth in the state and maintain water for agriculture for up to a century. And it would implement groundbreaking policy to reach those goals.

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