Last week, Getches-Wilkinson Center Water Law Fellow Andrew Teegarden, attended the 2024 Colorado Water Congress Summer Conference in Colorado Springs. As is typical, the conference started with various workshops which covered a range of topics but the most directly related to our work at the Getches-Wilkinson Center was the session on the new dredge and fill program which was established by HB24-1379. Our organization was deeply involved in working on HB24-1379 and for those interested, please follow this to learn more about what is included in Colorado鈥檚 new dredge and fill program.
The dredge and fill workshop included many of the key players involved in negotiating the bill across the finish line such as: Nichole Rowan the Director of the Water Quality Control Division, Stu Gillespie with Earthjustice, Jim Sanderson from Wilborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley, P.C., and Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer. Without the collaboration and negotiation of these folks, it鈥檚 possible Colorado would have needed to wait another year for a vital dredge and fill program to help balance the need to protect our environment and ability to create new development to deal with an increasing population. Collaboration truly was the focus of the panel and that was thanks to CDPHE Director Nichole Rowan and her staff who worked tirelessly to hold stakeholder meetings to make sure the voices of all sectors were heard during the bill drafting.
Colorado鈥檚 dredge and fill program was also included in the conference programming on day two. During this session, the main bill sponsors talked more in depth about the process that led to the passing of HB24-1379. Members also talked about the need for robust rulemaking which CDPHE is kicking off next Wednesday September 4th. Follow this to sign up for the monthly rulemaking meetings.
One of the other major themes talked about during the conference was the celebration of the future for the Colorado Water Congress. Recently, Executive Director Doug Kemper retired from his position with Colorado Water Congress after decades of service and Chane Polo was selected to take his place. Doug was also selected as the Wayne N. Aspinall Water Leader of the Year by the organization for all of his work in bringing together diverse members of the water community.
Outside of the conference programming, POND, a professional development arm of the Colorado Water Congress hosted several activities to highlight the various ways water helps provide recreational opportunities. Andrew was fortunate enough to sign up for the COG Railway tour of Pikes Peak and its associated water infrastructure which was hosted by members of Colorado Springs Utilities. Seeing how water moves across these vast spaces and the planning required to do so was quite inspiring! We are grateful to Colorado Springs Utilities for putting this plan together to help contextualize how we can all be part of sharing and collaborating with external partners to achieve water delivery and savings.
The final day of the conference included some of the most meaningful talks which ranged from the rights of nature, including the fish recovery programs for the San Juan and Colorado Rivers, to the inclusion of Tribal voices. Overall, the conference was a great time to catch up with colleagues and spread some hope for how we can all navigate the future. We look forward to seeing what the Colorado Water Congress has in store for their annual convention in January!