Overview
On Wednesday, August 5th, staff was joined by Amy Ostdiek for a lunch hour webinar on the Colorado River. More than 40 million people across seven states, two countries, and 30 Tribal Nations depend on Colorado’s namesake river. Ostdiek provided updates on the future operations of Lakes Powell and Mead, what reservoir operations mean for Colorado, and what Colorado is doing to be part of the solution. Specifically, she discussed the near-term contribution program that the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) is establishing. Learn more by exploring the materials below.
Ostdiek is Chief of the Interstate, Federal, and Water Information Section at the Colorado Water Conservation Board. She serves as the policy advisor to Colorado’s Colorado River negotiator and is the Governor-appointed representative to the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program. Ostdiek holds a J.D. from the University of Colorado – Boulder.
Meeting Materials
- Meeting Recording (opens YouTube)
- Link 1: Colorado River Basin Post-2026 Operations (USBR)
- Link 2: Colorado Water Conservation Board Homepage
- Slide deck coming soon.
Call to Action
CWCB wants to hear from you! Thanks to a $100M grant secured from the Bureau of Reclamation, CWCB is set to launch a two-year water contribution program beginning in 2027. Upper-basin water users would voluntarily contribute portions of their water to the Colorado River system and receive credit for it. This is highlighted in greater detail in the recording above, beginning at 24:29 (chapter marker “Taskforces/MOU”).
They are actively seeking feedback from all water users on the proposed criteria for this 2027-28 framework. Instructions are below:
- What (if anything) is missing from the criteria? Do you disagree with anything?
- Which criteria should rank most heavily in the evaluation of project applications?
Criteria
- Result in Credit, Operate w/in Existing Authorities, Provide for Tribal Participation, Protect Water Rights, Minimum Acreage thresholds, Drought Resilience, Innovation, Administrative Ease, Comply w/ Ditch Company or Other Requirements, Community Impacts, Participation & Proportionality, Environment, Federally Funded.
Please email DNR_ContributionProgram@state.co.us with feedback.
Contact Information
- Amy Ostdiek | amy.ostdiek@state.co.us (CWCB)
- Kieran Boes | kboes@ccionline.org (CCI Staff)