The Colorado River Water Conservation District, also known as the Colorado River District or simply the "River District," is an organization that helps plan and manage water resources in the state of Colorado. It was created in 1937 under the Water Conservancy District Act of Colorado. This same law also allowed the creation of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, known as "Northern Water," and the Colorado Water Conservation Board, called "CWCB." All of these groups were formed during a time when the government focused on building public projects and helping the economy grow, which happened during the Franklin D. Roosevelt Administration after the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
History
The history of the Colorado River District is covered in the book Water Wranglers: The 75-Year History of the Colorado River District: A Story about the Embattled Colorado River and the Growth of the West. The book explains how water development in Colorado has often been difficult. This is a common story in the dry western United States: people who needed water sometimes built projects to move water long distances from the river’s headwaters to farms and cities in the east, which left less developed areas in the west with less water.
In 2012, Colorado water users celebrated the 75th anniversary of the River District (as well as Northern Water and the CWCB). A public education campaign was started to help people understand the importance of Colorado being a headwaters state and the responsibilities that come with it. The campaign highlighted how water resources and population are unevenly spread across the state, especially across the Continental Divide. Since then, drought and growing competition for limited water have led to important public policy discussions and increased attention on the River District. This is because most of the state’s precipitation, usually as snow, falls on the west side of the Continental Divide. However, the demand for this water comes from more populated, drier areas on the east side.
In 2020, voters in the 15 counties that make up the district approved a property-tax increase to support the district’s work. According to the district, 86% of the revenue from the tax increase will be used to keep water on the Western Slope, protect water supplies for ranchers and farmers there, ensure drinking water is safe, and protect fish, wildlife, and recreation.