Democratic gubernatorial candidate and current Attorney General Phil Weiser told the Colorado Water Congress Thursday he intends to appoint a rural outreach director and a water policy adviser should he win the election in November.

The news was well-received by conference attendees. “Incredible!” said one. Another pointed out Weiser already has someone in his office doing rural outreach, so it’s a welcome continuation of what he’s already doing. 

Weiser’s speech at the Steamboat Springs event covered his work on water issues throughout his years as attorney general, including the lawsuit filed by Nebraska seeking eminent domain over Colorado lands to build the Perkins Canal; the negotiations over the Colorado River and the resolution of a long-standing lawsuit on compact compliance with the Rio Grande.

He’s attended the Water Congress conferences every year since becoming attorney general eight years ago.

Weiser also took aim at efforts to divert water from the San Luis Valley and pipe it to Douglas County, a project backed by former Gov. Bill Owens and Renewable Water Resources. “Over my dead body,” Weiser said, to applause from the audience.

That’s a stance he’s had as attorney general and said he would continue opposition to that project as governor.

Weiser noted that he’s doubled the capacity of the attorney general’s office to address water issues. “We’ve got the best, with all respect [to the] other lawyers here, water law firm in the states,” Weiser said.

The Rio Grande lawsuit, known as Texas v. New Mexico/Colorado, concluded in June when the U.S. Supreme Court approved a settlement regarding groundwater use. 

The looming issue is now the lawsuit filed by Nebraska over a land grab from Colorado landowners in Sedgwick County to build a canal in Perkins County, Nebraska. The U.S. Supreme Court took on the case in June.

“I don’t see their claims” as having a strong chance of winning, he said. Colorado complies with the compact and is not interfering with Nebraska’s efforts to build the canal. 

However, he noted, Nebraska “has not chosen to do so for the last hundred years for a very good reason. It doesn’t make sense.”

He said he will defend Colorado’s rights as attorney general and will continue to do so as governor. 

“This is an important principle for water in Colorado, whether it’s Nebraska or the Colorado River, which is we’re not going to walk away from our hard-earned rights” and operate under the rule of law.

As to the Colorado River, Weiser said the Department of the Interior’s involvement is not ideal and that the proposal isn’t entirely clear, although he does see it as progress that highlights the work ahead.

“It’s not ideal to have these operational decisions affected by uncertainty, and we do want to get to, as reliable tools, a transparent process and respect for the law of the river,” he said. 

Weiser also paid homage to the late John Stulp, who was Colorado’s first water czar under former Gov. John Hickenlooper and former commissioner of agriculture. 

The work Stulp did on putting together the state water plan put Colorado in an important position but added there’s still a lot of work to follow through on the plan’s commitments.

Weiser said he intends to prioritize drought resilience as governor to protect communities and ensure basins can make reasoned, sustainable decisions. “I’m not going to be afraid to make the right deal. I’m also not going to be afraid to challenge the wrong deal,” he said.

Weiser outlined the team he hopes to assemble as governor, beginning with the departments of natural resources and agriculture, where he said water would be a central focus. He also plans to appoint a water-policy adviser “worthy of the legacy built by John Stulp.”

Conserving water will be essential, Weiser said and that will require building tools for conservation, along with more flexible strategies. He spoke in support of a new $100 million federal investment in conservation for the Upper Colorado River Basin states, similar to the system conservation pilot programs of the past decade. 

That program has been criticized in the past for failing to demonstrate any water savings for the money spent. Weiser said the goal of the new program, another pilot, would be to ensure farmers, ranchers and irrigation districts are fairly compensated and that those efforts will stabilize reservoirs.

But “as we do this, we’re going to make sure that we’re credited appropriately for any savings,” Weiser said.

Other initiatives include expanding water reuse — an effort he said is being championed by former Fort Collins mayor and lawmaker Jeni James Arndt, who is also being discussed as a possible candidate to lead the Department of Natural Resources — as well as creating incentives for more drought-resistant crops and encouraging homeowners to conserve through xeriscaping.

Weiser said the state’s water plan remains underfunded and that water infrastructure also lacks the investment it needs. He added that he’s committed to making those investments.

Weiser was the only candidate to appear at the Water Congress this week and take questions from the audience.

In response to a question about protecting San Luis Valley water, he said removing water from the valley would be a “death sentence” for its fragile ecosystem.

He added, “It’s not how we manage water in Colorado. We cannot undermine agriculture to take a shortcut. We’ve got to do the hard work of creating a delicate system where all users make shared sacrifices, make smart decisions and build resilience. The shortcut of sacrificing the San Luis Valley is unacceptable, and I won’t let it happen.”

Another question focused on his plans for rural Colorado, citing the recent disincorporation of Hartman in Prowers County after the town could no longer maintain its water system. The audience member suggested the Department of Local Affairs “step it up” to better support rural communities.

Weiser noted that he intends to appoint a rural outreach director in his administration, as well as a water adviser. “I need all of you to be in touch with us and to make sure that you know that your pain points are our pain points,” he said.

“When you talk about the pain you’re talking about right now, we need a state government that is listening to you, that’s responsive to you and one that “gets stuff done,” he said.

Weiser’s Republican challenger, Victor Marx, addressed the Water Congress on Wednesday. Independent gubernatorial candidate Greg Lopez did not speak at the annual event.