Caitlin Carey, Democrat
Garfield County Commissioner - District 2 Candidate
If you could enact one water policy change in Colorado, what would it be? (250 word limit)
I would really like to see landscaping move towards less water intensive landscaping, utilizing native plants and grasses. As a New Castle Town Councilor, it has become more and more apparent to me that each thing we can do to reduce our reliance on our precious water makes a difference. By creative incentives, pointing our residents to resources, and moving towards less water intensive (and more fire resilient) landscaping each household can do their part to guard and protect our water. Leveraging our residents’ desire to protect our water along with small projects to reduce evaporative losses on irrigation ditches, wise watering usages, we get our community involved in the issue.
On a larger scale, I would like to see our big water users move to this approach as well. For instance, our schools have gorgeous grassy areas that are more aesthetically pleasing than they are functional. These not only become a fire hazard in drought, they utilize an astounding amount of water. Focusing in on smaller, more functional turf areas would reduce water usage, and save our schools money.
What outcomes of Colorado River negotiations would you advocate for during your term? (250 word limit)
I would advocate for utilizing accurate data as to our current water situation. The Colorado River Compact was negotiated after some of the wettest years on record. In order for the Colorado River to be preserved while ensuring water makes it to end users both in the Upper Basin states and Lower Basin states reasonably will require utilizing accurate data. If the water isn’t there, it is not there. Even my young son sees this; his solution, using a rolling 10-year average to allocate by percentages. While this beautifully simplistic solution isn’t necessarily available to us, it begs the question: are we over complicating this?
Further, West Slope water belongs on the West Slope. Continual diversions with no end in sight to the Front Range is not sustainable, nor is it wise. This is one reason it is imperative that we work to fund the purchase of the Shoshone Water Right.
As the Colorado River negotiations move forward, taking into account current, accurate data is imperative if we want protect not only the precious, life-giving water, but the ecosystems that are reliant on the River. It is not a resource to be abused.
Steven Arauza, Democrat
Garfield County Commissioner - District 3 Candidate
If you could enact one water policy change in Colorado, what would it be? (250 word limit)
As the Headwaters State, Colorado should consider eliminating its free river provision–which provides for unlimited water diversions until a senior downstream user makes a call on the river–in favor of establishing a demand management program with clearly-defined water rights and incentives to reduce consumption. The realities of extended drought conditions, the impact of climate change, and increased demands of population growth make our current and future conditions impossible to have been predicted at the drafting of the state constitution–which is the basis for the free river provision. Policy-makers need to act to protect our future, rather than to allow our path forward to be bound by antiquity.
It is important that we acknowledge the increasing scarcity of our water resources and critically evaluate our demand in the context of our changing climate and obligation to deliver on our downstream commitments. Given the reality of water as a finite resource, it is irresponsible to retain a loophole that allows for unlimited use, particularly when there are communities downstream that are dependent on what we are able to conserve. Regional collaboration is crucial to our future as a country, particularly in response to climate change.
What outcomes of Colorado River negotiations would you advocate for during your term? (250 word limit)
I am hopeful that we can arrive at a unified proposal between Upper and Lower Basin states wherein the input and needs of Tribal governments are taken seriously. Realistically, negotiations are complex and the tensions run high because water is essential to life and livelihoods across the West. Ultimately, I will be supportive of the recommendations made by experts among Colorado’s negotiators. I just want this decision to be made among the states and tribes, rather than going to the Supreme Court.
I am encouraged by the fact that these negotiations are taking the threat and inevitable impacts of climate change seriously–this scientific consensus is one that every elected official needs to respect and take seriously. I would do my part by supporting fact-driven policy to mitigate the effects of climate change because it will take meaningful, intentional change at all levels of government to better understand and correct the forces that are ultimately reducing our water supply and will increase the pressure on future negotiations. This is not the time for hyper-partisanship or obstructionism. We need all hands on deck to secure our future.
After several attempts to contact candidates via email and Facebook over a three week period, we did not receive comments from the following candidate for Garfield County Commissioner: Perry Will (District 2), Mike Samson (District 3)