Water experts agree: Without swift, collaborative and regionalized action, the cost of a failure to address water loss in our state will be “stunning.”

A discussion hosted by The Common Sense Institute Wednesday centered on the future of water usage in Colorado and featured key findings in a new report.

Kristin Strohm, the President and CEO of the Common Sense Institute (CSI), along with Terry J. Stevinson fellows Jennifer Gimbel and Eric Kuhn, discussed the findings the report that contains an overview of water challenges in Colorado, recommendations for state agency, legislative, regional and local actions, and an analysis of economic dynamics for water future.

The CSI panelists were joined by City of Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, Colorado Business Roundtable President Debbie Brown, and Sherman and Howard Water and Natural Resources practice leader James Eklund.

Healthy watersheds are critical to Colorado, the report states. It is “one of the foundations of Colorado’s unique mix of economic drivers: outdoor recreation, agriculture, high-tech industries, and thriving cities.”

“There’s no greater challenge for our state than water,” Strohm said in the panel.

According to the report, Colorado’s population is growing significantly. By 2050, the report says, Colorado’s population is expected to grow from 5.7 million to 7.5 million people. This growth puts additional pressure on water, an already limited resource.

The economic cost of water supply is significant, the report states. Reliable water service to homes impacts housing affordability, which affects the state’s ability to retain its skilled workforce. By 2050, water loss could cost up to 600,000 jobs and reduce state and local tax revenue by up to $6 billion, Strohm said.

“The price tag around inaction is stunning,” Brown said.

The report’s solution to water scarcity centers around regionalization and collaborative action, the idea that across-the-board changes are imperative to water conservation. Modernizing the water system, the report states, requires action from federal, state and local governments, businesses and private citizens.

Municipalities currently get water for growing populations using “buy-and-dry” approaches, in which water rights are bought from agricultural operations and cause agricultural loss, and non-renewable or slow-recharge groundwater supply, according to the report. Climate change also puts pressure on water supply, the report states, with a hotter and drier climate leading to supply-reducing factors such as drought, decreased snowpack and wildfires that damage watersheds.

Colorado is a headwater state, meaning its rivers flow to neighboring states. Interstate water compacts and U.S. Supreme Court decrees require Colorado to share this water with these states and Mexico. Panelist generally agreed the state’s water use needed to be part of the discussion, although Colorado has an advantage.

“It’s better to be upstream with a shovel than downstream with a lawyer and that’s where we are in Colorado,” Eklund said.

Many Colorado communities are pursuing their own independent water systems, according to the report. The City of Aurora and Sterling Ranch in Douglas County have demand management measures like removing non-functional turf and limiting blue grass in new developments.

However, the report says, the lack of statewide and regional standards may push developers to areas without these restrictions. Kuhn said there need to be Front Range-wide standards to ensure that this isn’t happening.

Coffman said Aurora is taking a leadership role in water conservation, reducing its outside irrigation in half, looking at its golf courses, parks and other green spaces to find ways to cut water use and changing landscape designs to be more water-efficient.

“We have put forward our own conservation policies and we hope the rest of the state picks them up,” Coffman said.

Brown noted that taking efforts to reduce water use can also be looked at as a competitive advantage, while Strohm said Colorado also needs to budget more for the state’s water plan.

The panelists discussed additional ways to reduce water usage. Coffman said increasing the price of water for people with high usage would incentivize them to conserve. Gimble said agriculture needs to invest in new technology, while James said there need to be measurable objectives in the water conversation.

“Because of Colorado’s significant population growth, climate change, and obligations to other states, Colorado will have to adapt to increased competition for water,” the report states. “Although water laws present some structural barriers, collaborative actions can lead to needed adaptations for the 21st century.”