Federal, State Agencies Sign Water Agreement

DURANGO – Federal and State agencies today signed an agreement to work together on statewide water management.  Through a Memorandum of Understanding, the Bureau of Land Management, Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Colorado Water Conservation Board are establishing a framework for managing water resources on the Bureau’s lands.

 “Today, we are moving forward in working together in innovative new ways to protect water resources in Colorado,” said Ron Wenker, BLM Colorado state director. 

“This MOU will foster a cooperative relationship not based on unilateral requirements, but instead on decisions made at the local and state level, based on Colorado’s unique hydrology and climate,” said Russell George, DNR executive director.  “A primary responsibility of the DNR is to protect and manage our precious water resources.”  

Rod Kuharich, Director of the CWCB, said that the CWCB’s role in the agreement is vital, as it is the entity with the purview over the protection and management of water rights and in stream flow. 

“It is important that we work together to maintain our natural environments while protecting private citizens’ water rights,” said Wenker.  “We want to ensure the protection of our riparian areas – the fish and other aquatic life, as well as the plants and animals along stream beds that rely on water.” 

It is the intent of the agreement to increase communication between the federal and state agencies so that issues that may have become conflicts in the past can become discussion items and mutually-benefiting solutions are reached. 

“The bottom line is, we want to share information with the BLM to further understand water needs and to protect our resources in a way that is consistent with state and federal law,” George said.  “The people of Colorado deserve no less than that, especially during these drought years when water is at its most valuable.”  

###