The San Luis Valley is facing major water challenges, with demands for water outstripping the area’s limited ground and surface water supplies. With irrigators having to reduce their use of water to bring things back into balance, Valley residents have been collaborating - including through water sharing partnerships facilitated by Trout Unlimited - on projects that reduce water consumption and at the same time can benefit flows in local rivers like the Conejos and Rio Grande.

Those collaborations faced a new - but also old - challenge from the misleadingly named “Renewable Water Resources” (RWR), a company backed by Denver developers and former Colorado Governor Bill Owens. RWR’s proposal seeks to pump groundwater out of the San Luis Valley and export it to Colorado’s Front Range, putting at risk the Valley’s unique environment and agriculture economy. The project is the successor to previously failed efforts to raid Valley water by American Water Development, Inc. and later again by Stockman’s Water. Reviving the twice-defeated proposal, RWR sponsors asked Douglas County to provide millions of dollars in Covid relief funds to promote their project. Valley residents, TU, and other conservation allies joined in asking the Douglas County Commission to reject the proposal

Last week, Douglas County’s Commission voted (2-1) to reject the RWR request for relief funds. Commissioners Abe Laydon and Lora Thomas voted to oppose the request. The decision is a welcome reprieve for residents and the environment in the San Luis Valley. The battle is not yet over, however - RWR will continue to seek customers willing to finance the project. Commissioner Laydon left the door open for potential future support from Douglas County, indicating a willingness to continue working with RWR but noting that they would need to “do significant additional homework” to address concerns about the proposal.

TU stands with the San Luis Valley in opposing RWR and will remain vigilant as its proponents look for their next target for underwriting their ill-advised proposal.