Integration of Water and Land Use Planning

 

Client

Colorado Water Conservation Board/Colorado Department of Natural Resources

 

Funder

Colorado Water Conservation Board

 

Stakeholders

 

Land use planners, land developers, water providers, water attorneys, resource conservation groups, and the business community

 

Description

 

Adequate supplies of fresh water will be the number one resource scarcity issue of the 21st Century, globally and here at “home” in the western United States.  Water shortages in the West are the result of multiple stressors, including rapid population growth, economic conditions and employment levels, energy demands such as oil shale development, agricultural irrigation, climate change, increased hydrological variability in major watersheds, and interstate compact obligations.  Colorado is ranked as the third fastest growing state in the U.S. and is expected to double its population from 4.8 million in 2005 to a projected 8.7 – 10.3 million people in 2050.  To meet our consumptive and non-consumptive water needs, both demand side and supply side strategies are needed.  The integration of land use planning and water supply planning is a key component of managing our society’s future demand for water. 

 

One of the strategies for meeting the water requirements of Colorado’s growing population is to reduce the water needed to sustain each household and person.  This broad category is called demand management.  Ways to reduce future demand include building denser communities, infilling existing urban environments, following low impact development standards, and using water wisely. 

 

Three activities were undertaken for this project:

  1. A statewide survey was conducted to better understand the opportunities and challenges to integrate land use planning and water demand management in Colorado.  The survey was sent to a broad range of stakeholder groups across the state of Colorado, including those involved in land use planning, land development, water management, water law, resource conservation, and business. 
  2. A research report explored demand management strategies to help meet future water demands.  The report Colorado Review: Water Management and Land Use Planning Integration covers relevant Colorado statutes, best practice tools and strategies for integrating water and land use planning including those currently implemented in Colorado, survey results that identify current opportunities and barriers to integrated planning in Colorado, and recommendations for next steps.
  3. A symposium Water & Land Use Planning for a Sustainable Future:  Scaling and Integrating held in Denver, Colorado, September 28-30, 2009, co-sponsored by the Western States Water Council and the Colorado Water Conservation Board.  This symposium brought together diverse participants from special districts, cities and counties, state and federal agencies, and nongovernmental organizations, including policy and decision-makers, planners, developers, and regulators to look at water and land use patterns, share experiences and concerns, identify problems and potential solutions, discuss obstacles and opportunities, and develop recommendations to better integrate and scale water and land use planning for a sustainable future. The symposium provided CLE credits for attorneys, CM credits for planners, and CE credits for realtors. 

 

Steering Committee

 

Products

 

External Links