As Drought Worsens, Colorado May Pay People Not To Use Water
As drought grips much of the U.S., and one of its most vital source-water bodies in particular, state legislators may soon begin offering financial compensation to those who choose not to use that source’s water.
“More than 40 million people rely on the Colorado River in the West, and every drop of it is used,” Colorado Public Radio reported. “To try and avoid a multi-state legal battle over this precious resource, Colorado and other states are considering paying people to keep more water in the river.”
But given how valuable this resource has become recently, it may be difficult for the states to come up with the funds necessary to incentivize voluntary water conservation.
“Colorado would need millions of dollars to buy the water and figure out what it’s worth to someone who makes a living off of it,” per Colorado Public Radio. “Bill Trampe, a third-generation rancher in Gunnison County, doesn’t think the state could afford to pay him for the loss he would suffer by giving up his water. Covering the loss of the hay crop he’d lose isn’t enough, he said. What about the harm to his cattle herd?”
Though it may seem like an unorthodox solution and a challenging one, Western states may face little choice when it comes to reducing water consumption. Drought is now estimated to cover 95% of the U.S. West, with conditions expected to last until the fall. And the UN has identified drought as the next pandemic faced by the world.
But like many legislative measures, the urgency for Colorado’s demand management plan appears to be pushing up against the roadblocks inherent in public policy.
“The controversial water-banking program, which some fear could harm agriculture on the Western Slope, has sparked a lot of discussion but little agreement over the past two years,” Summit Daily reported. “Some have expressed frustration with what they say is the state’s slow pace of a program rollout and want to begin pilot projects to test the program’s feasibility.”
Next steps for the potential program will be continued discussions during a mid-August workshop. Depending on how these conversations progress, an unorthodox — and much needed — water scarcity solution may soon be rolling out in one of the world’s driest regions.
To read more about how drought affects water systems across the country, visit Water Online’s Water Scarcity Solutions Center.