Water tests Coloradans’ ability to understand one another

The 2023 update to the Colorado Water Plan was approved and released in January of this year. The most recent update to this plan, which was first drafted in 2015, focuses on four action areas: vibrant communities, robust agriculture, thriving watersheds, and resilient planning. As we anticipate another hot, dry summer with increased water use restrictions, and our state population to grow by more than half by 2050, what social factors in the plan are Coloradans responsible for addressing?

There is a deep societal divide in Colorado between urban and agricultural water users. Conversations are often heavy with blame and scorn, each group believing the other is responsible for the water crisis. Agricultural users are blamed for continuing to plant water-intensive crops, and…