Rifle State of the River

6-8pm Thursday, May 11, 2017 at the Ute Theater in Rifle, CO

The Colorado River District and the Middle Colorado Watershed Council are pleased to host the Rifle State of the River on May 11th at the Ute Theater. The State of the River is an opportunity for the community to come together and learn more about the Colorado River and provide information for those dependent on the water.

Presentations will include a snowpack and climate report for our region and information about current and expected operations for the regional reservoirs, which greatly affect flows in the Colorado River.

A key presentation will be by Scot Dodero, president of the Silt Water Conservancy District, who will talk about the Silt irrigation project and its challenges. Eric Kuhn, general manager of the Colorado River District, will address basin-wide challenges facing the Colorado River and Lake Powell.

An emerging topic of interest to the agricultural community will be the water banking-fallowing experiment being undertaken by the Grand Valley Water Users Association in Mesa County. Water Users president Mark Harris will talk about this experiment to pay producers to not irrigate.

"This annual spring event has become a favorite for water managers and members of the public to talk about the state of the Colorado River and what kind of water year we can expect," explained Laurie Rink, Executive Director of the Middle Colorado Watershed Council.

The Middle Colorado Watershed Council’s mission is:

“To evaluate, protect, and enhance the health of the middle Colorado River watershed through the cooperative effort of watershed stakeholders.”

Our stretch of the River extends from Glenwood Canyon to De Beque and includes all the streams that flow into the River.

The Colorado River District’s mission is:

“To lead in the protection, conservation, use, and development of the water resources of the Colorado River basin for the welfare of the District, and to safeguard for Colorado all waters of the Colorado River to which the state is entitled.”

For more information please visit www.midcowatershed.org or www.crwdc.org.