Colorado, R.I.P.
by Jack Flobeck
Colorado, the headwaters
state, is not on the road to a rosy and healthy future. Its prognosis is for
both a possible as well as a probable cardiac arrest from drought and
mismanagement. Colorado’s water
supply is in jeopardy. We haven’t added substantially to our reserves or
supplies in years. We had water rationing in the 1950’s with a population 1.3
Million; we had water rationing in 2004 with a population of 4.3 Million; how
can we think we will have the water for an expected population of 7 million by
2030? How did we get into this dilemma? We created our own disability, slowly
and surely, without much fanfare; but with great help from our political
leaders, farmers, ranchers, developers, and water managers. We all share the
blame, but the good news is that we all can share in the rewards from facing and
solving the challenges.
The twin enemies of
Progress are: apathy and ignorance. And boy, do we have them in Colorado.
We spend millions to attract bright new people with green and clean new
businesses to our state, without giving these newcomers the slightest inkling
that they are moving to a high desert, where, without water they will perish.
Our water laws are based
on 1880’s needs and thinking, and are unable to cope with 21st Century
demands. Water sources are primarily on the Western slope;
these are subject to an overlapping number of old rights to use, often
considered imposed by those whose recreational livelihood is threatened by
transfer. Consumption is primarily
on the Eastern slope or Front Range. 40%
of water consumption is in power generation and 40% is for agricultural uses,
many of which are viable due to government subsidies. Residential and industrial use is approximately 20% of water
consumption, with 40% for toilet and sometimes 40% or more for lawn watering
during the summer.
Colorado has more water
lawyers than any other state. Water can be a complex scientific subject where
solutions won’t come from new law or new law suits. We must consider water in many more dimensions than just 8 ½”
X 13” pieces of paper, or committee reports.
Consider these charts:
(Sandia Labs graph : Energy-water
nexus-facing the future --- Sandia Technology Fall 2005 )
We are in a never ending
and downward death spiral. We need
energy to cool our homes in summer, to heat them in winter, to power the engines
of commerce and agriculture, but in many cases we must construct dams and use
the water behind dams to create the electricity we need.
The dams automatically create silt, increase the water temperature, and
demean the water quality to, in some cases, spell the demise of very ecosystem
that is a fountainhead of creation for clean water as well as a refuge for
animals, birds, and fish.
Three out of every four
dams in Colorado have a challenge. Of
these, three out of four are of the ancient earth, rock, and mud design. These
old dams are the ones most likely to fail in thunderstorms.
I suspect there will a thunderstorm in Colorado this summer. We
can neither afford the tragic loss of life nor can we afford to lose the
valuable crops and precious water.
One of the recent myths
that abound is that the savior for Colorado will be oil shale. This sounds FANTASTIC, but there is an unmentioned little
secret. It takes a bunch of water
to run the new shale process. So, the headwaters state, Colorado, will be
required to spend many more dollars and scarce water to make lots of money from
the oil shale? Do you think that we have the water to pull off our shale program
and still send 7.5 million acre-feet down the Colorado River to Arizona, Nevada,
and California?
|
“A
PROBLEM CANNOT BE SOLVED |
As Einstein warned us, we
can’t fix the water problem with the same old laws, the same old people, at
the same old conferences. It will take some fresh new, out of the box, ideas,
more involvement, and a new forum for thoughtful exchange; to provide answers to
our water shortages.
So with all this doom and
gloom, what can we do? Well it’s
simple. Think without artificial
boundaries, and create new solutions. Here are some of the alternatives that our
501( c ) 3 think tank, Aqua Prima Center has proposed:
u Aqua Bucks- create a complementary water currency to reward
conservation, penalize waste, and offer a medium of exchange where water can be
leased and traded in times of drought as well as plenty; to rescue those in need
and offer a profit for those with an excess. Pennsylvania and Kansas have such systems in the works and
New Mexico is studying it. Is there a reason why we should be last?
u Reuse our valuable resources with gray water devices.
Gray water is currently
being used in Arizona, Nevada, and California.
These devices take water from tubs and use it to irrigate and flush
toilets. When you stay at the
Bellagio in Las Vegas and observe the beautiful fountains; you may well be
looking at the water you just showered in. Where is it written that we should
flush our wastes down a drain with pure drinking water?
u Fix the Dams. We owe this to ourselves as well as to our children.
u Educate our youngsters about water. We have residents who think the
faucets will ALWAYS produce water if they just keep turning them on. It won’t
work for long. Who wants to be the last person standing in the desert?
If you prefer survival
along with a better Colorado, call, write, or e-mail your Governor, your
representatives, and your water managers. Tell them you want action not debate,
and remind them to think out of the box for a change. Let’s lead the West, not
become second-class followers.
Jack
Flobeck is Founder-Chairman of Aqua Prima Center Inc., a non-profit think tank
for water research and water conservation. He has held a number of executive
positions including Director of New Product Development at IHS as well as CEO of
a computer company. You can reach him at colojackf@msn.com
or www.aquaprima.org
