Across our region, drought will likely threaten local farms and ranches and the stability of our food supply. Without action, the fields that feed us today could be gone tomorrow. One cause is dry winters and hot springs like we are experiencing this year. Another is cities in the Denver metro area aggressively buying senior water rights and drying up valuable, productive farmland.

Central Colorado Water Conservancy District’s mission is to secure and store water to keep this precious resource within the South Platte River basin in Adams, Weld and Morgan counties and available to farms and ranches in our region.

By investing in water rights and storage, Central captures water in times of plenty to help protect our agriculture-based economy in times of drought. Central’s water conservancy efforts support multiple generations, livelihoods and jobs, protect our food supply, and sustain farms and ranches along the South Platte River for generations to come.

Water challenges in Adams, Morgan and Weld counties:

• Central’s 10-year outlook includes development of reliable water supplies, including storage and senior water rights.

• A portion of the Central’s water supply has been leased from municipal water supplies and as municipalities grow and use their supplies, Central will have less certainty that these leases will be available in the future.

• Buy and dry of irrigated lands downstream of the Denver area continues, and the agricultural water needs from groundwater in our region will increase. Central assists with the development of additional water supplies to help protect ag water.

• The Colorado Water Plan estimates that 267,000 acres of irrigated farm ground downstream of Denver will be dried up by 2050 to meet future growth demands.

• Farms and ranches are at risk in Adams, Morgan and Weld counties if additional water storage is not developed and if additional water rights are not secured.