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Water Share Agreement Keeps Colorado Ranches Watered and the Little Cimarron River Full

Environment
August 4, 2015
Colorado Water Trust and Colorado Water Conservation Board strike a deal to keep the Little Cimarron River flowing all year
In Colorado, the Little Cimarron River is a life-source for the Gunnison Basin’s wildlife and agricultural economy. For more than 100 years, farmers and ranchers have used the river’s water to support their crops, their animals and their livelihoods. Until recently, their success meant a drained river and shrunken habitat for river-dwellers such as wild trout and other fish. Today, creativity and collaboration are transforming the way the Little Cimarron’s waters are shared.

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In April, the Colorado Water Trust and the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) struck a first-of-its-kind deal that keeps the Little Cimarron River flowing all year, when both farmers and fish need it.

With support from the Walton Family Foundation and in partnership with Western Rivers Conservancy, the Colorado Water Trust purchased water rights from a ranch along the Little Cimarron in 2014 – initiating the journey that led to the innovative new water-sharing solution on the river. Dedicated to preserving the state’s rich agriculture, ecology and outdoor recreation, the Water Trust and CWCB crafted an agreement that lets ranchers use purchased water rights to irrigate the traditional pastures into the summer, and then leave the water in the river when flows begin to drop.

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However, the agreement’s impact does not stop at the banks of the Little Cimarron – it is a pioneering step in driving conservation solutions that make economic sense for local communities.

According to Amy Beatie, executive director of the Colorado Water Trust, the deal is “a great new example of how water sharing can work on the ground within the state’s existing laws to bring together what are usually seen as incompatible uses.”

Already, Coloradans are starting to see how a “split season” water agreement could help keep their river and ranches healthy year round. CWCB director James Eklund captured the powerful significance of the new agreement simply: “Our rivers and our farms are at the heart of what makes Colorado so special,” he said. This agreement is a model for future agriculture and conservation partnerships.”

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