Colorado River drought task force

DENVER, Colo. (KKCO) - Colorado just passed a bill that creates a task force meant to address concerns about our water supplies across the State, the most important is the Colorado River. Senate bill 295 passed the house by a vote of 63 to 2. Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie sponsored the bill along with Representative Marc Catlin with the purpose of protecting the Colorado river and the residents across state and country that rely on it’s water.

McCluskie says water interest line up around economies, not a political spectrum. Things like agriculture, tourism, and outdoor recreation.

While we’ve kept you updated on the record breaking winter and precipitation we’ve had, the speaker says Colorado is still in a decade long drought. She credits that to climate change. The bill created what’s called a river drought task force, bringing together a multitude of voices to address different approaches to conserving Colorado’s water while honoring water rights.

By December of this year the task force would make recommendations to the general assembly that would address issues they found through research earlier in the year. The force includes voices from Ute tribes, the department of natural resources, big water consumers from the front range, the Colorado river district, and environmental groups.

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