That's what Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District General Manager Eric Wilkinson told area business leaders Wednesday morning at the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance's Regional Issues Summit in Loveland, where water supply experts warned that Colorado's ability to sustain even its current population means either drying up farmland, building new reservoirs or both – soon.
But water conservation efforts, including reducing lawn watering, won't be enough to ensure there's enough water for everyone in Colorado, the panelists said.
Deciding how far to take conservation is a matter of deciding what residents want the state to look like in times of severe water shortages.
If everyone stops watering their lawns, they will jeopardize their green grass, but "you're also jeopardizing the tree canopy," Wilkinson said. "Deep percolation of lawn water keeps trees alive."
Read the full report written by Bobby Magill
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