Government officials and producers met at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley to discuss the water problems in the Front Range. U.S. Representatives Betsy Markey and John Salazar held the meeting with the House subcommittee and local producers to brain storm ways to solve the water problem in the northeastern part of the state.
One highly discussed option is conserving water in the South Platte River Basin. Although this is one solution, farmers believe it is not going to solve all the water problems in the area. According to producers in the area, water is used and recycled seven times before reaching the eastern side of Colorado.
Producers want an irrigation system to support the $1.5 billion agriculture industry of the Front Range. The problem is that Front Range cities are growing from rural to urban, so many areas do not fall under rural categories or funding.
Producers and officials also discussed alternatives to “buy and dry,” the options farmers have to sell their water rights to cities. Farmers can earn anywhere between $2,000 and $7,000 per acre sold. The most popular option discussed was building a dam on the Cache la Poudre River, but no decisions have been made.
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