I grew up in rural Colorado and that is where I learned my values. As a fourth-generation Coloradan, I come from a family that has survived the cyclical droughts that are characteristic of life in our state. I am confident that the rains will come and the hardship will pass, but it is time we came to grips with our cyclical water shortages. It is time for all Coloradans to look to the future and create a comprehensive water plan that sets achievable 5, 10, 20 and 40 year goals. We need to make sure that we elect leaders who will respond to Colorado's farmers and ranchers, and ensure that when drought conditions exist, our water goes to farmers and ranchers, not jet skis and sail boats.
	Release water from Cherry Creek Reservoir    Three-part comprehensive plan needed    Practice water conservation    Repair and expand existing facilities    Create new water storage facilities

Release water from Cherry Creek Reservoir
Due to the extremely dry conditions this year, farmers along the Platte River would have to shut down their irrigation wells in order to comply with Colorado water law, effectively devastating crops and wasting the money and water already poured into them this season. The state owns enough water stored in Cherry Creek Reservoir—currently being used for recreational purposes—to allow farmers to harvest their crops. Agriculture is the lifeblood of Colorado, and contributes $5 billion in cash receipts to our economy. To help ease Colorado's current water crisis, I recently called on the state to release more water from the Cherry Creek Reservoir to save crops downstream on the Platte River. Saving the agricultural economy along the Platte River is a better use of the water than jet-skiing and sailing.
Three-part comprehensive plan needed
We need to support Colorado's farmers and ranchers, and we need a solid water plan that can stand up to the extremes of natural water cycles. A comprehensive water plan should focus on three areas: conservation, expansion of existing water storage facilities, and the creation of new water storage facilities.
Practice water conservation
We need to practice efficient water use every year, not just during drought years. Conservation can provide an immediate increase in Colorado's water availability.
Repair and expand existing facilities
If you like Stan's record, email this page to your friends and family!   Our water storage and transportation system is in disrepair, operates under capacity and wastes millions of gallons of water daily. During the State Senate's recent special session, experts indicated that repairs to our existing storage facilities would increase capacity by as much as 20% and that repairs and a program of dredging would increase storage capacity by 40%.
Create new water storage facilities
We need to expand our water storage resources to keep more Colorado water for Colorado's farmers and ranchers. As we learned in the recent State Senate's special session, however, water policy and legislation cannot be rushed. I supported and voted for the $10 billion water storage bond legislation that failed after a bi-partisan coalition of Western Slope and Front Range legislators mustered the votes to kill the bill. Therefore, before we settle on a plan for new water storage that will not show results for 20 years, we need to craft common sense solutions to address both short and long-term water needs.

 
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