18 October 2012
How the Yampa River, and its Dependents, Survived the Drought of 2012
As this year’s drought deepened and spread across the United States, many cities and farms took steps to cope. Bans on landscape ...
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Request for Water 2012
Overview: Request for Water, Colorado Water Trust’s voluntary, market-based approach to rewatering streams in times of need, was built and launched in the spring of 2012. Through the 2012 pilot program, we successfully utilized the never-before-used 2003 short-term water leasing statute. On short notice, with the help of many willing water users and water practitioners, we negotiated three formal water leases though the state administrative approval process. Two additional leases were put in place but were not exercised this season. By making this Request for Water, we were able to move water into seven stream reaches, bolstering six instream flow water rights, and benefiting aquatic habitat and riparian ecosystems in over 190 total stream and river miles here in Colorado. This program has demonstrated that leasing water for instream flows can benefit the environment, communities, and water users at the same time.
Request for Water 2012: Pilot program audit
When we launched and piloted the Request for Water program, we worked quickly to develop the leasing tool and to provide wet water to rivers and streams. At the end of the season, we hired an independent contractor, the OMNI Institute, to audit the program and to solicit feedback from our constituents. The executive summary, Request for Water 2012: Final Evaluation Report Executive Summary, is available here for your information. The Colorado Water Trust team is committed to continuously improving our efforts to benefit both our Colorado community and Colorado’s rivers and streams. We always welcome your input and comments.
Projects through Request for Water 2012:
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View a video of the television coverage.
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Visit the Aspen Public Radio website to hear the sound clip.
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