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Confluence: the Northern Colorado Water Conference will explore the many facets of water availability, cost, conservation, development and supply. How can the region protect its water supplies for the benefit of future generations in Northern Colorado?
7 a.m. — Registration
7:45 – 8:35 a.m. — The NISP Decision
What are the pros and cons of plans to increase storage? Our panel includes officials from Northern Water, municipal leaders and other experts to obtain “balanced viewpoints” on NISP, Halligan and Seaman.
Moderator:
Jennifer Gimbel, senior water policy scholar, Colorado Water Institute, Colorado State University
Panelists:
LeRoy Poff, professor of biology, Colorado State University
Wade Troxell, mayor, city of Fort Collins
Brian Werner, public information officer, Northern Water
8:45 – 9:35 a.m. — Banking on Water
Northern Colorado business leaders for decades have weighed the benefits of a water bank to acquire water rights and preserve them for use within the region, rather than have metro-Denver communities such as Thornton acquire those rights and remove the water. What are the chances that a regional water bank will come to fruition?
Moderator:
Peter Nichols, partner, Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP
Panelists:
Ray Caraway, president, Community Foundation of Northern Colorado
Sean Chambers, director of water and sewer, city of Greeley
Richard Seaworth, owner, Seaworth Farms
Eric Wilkinson, former general manager, Northern Water
9:45 – 10:35 a.m. — Rising Prices
Prices for Colorado-Big Thompson water have soared in recent years. What effect does that have on development in the region, including on the cost of housing as the region strives to accommodate an increasing population?
Moderator:
Tamara Graham, civil design group leader — Northern Colorado, Lamp Rynearson
Panelists:
Dr. Marie Livingston, Professor Emerita of Economics — Ag, University of Northern Colorado
Chris Matkins, general manager, Fort Collins/Loveland Water District
Kevin McCarty, owner, McCarty Land & Water Valuation, Inc.
Mike Scheid, general manager, ELCO — East Larimer County Water District
10:45 – 11:35 — The Impact on Ag
Agricultural land and water rights have increasingly been acquired for development. How much reallocation of water rights will the region accept? What mechanisms exist to preserve the region’s agricultural heritage and economy?
Moderator:
Neil Best, president & CEO, Community Radio for Northern Colorado, including KUNC and The Colorado Sound
Panelists:
Tom Haren, CEO, AGPROfessionals
Roy Otto, city manager, city of Greeley
Chris Thorne, partner, Holland & Hart
Bradley D. Wind, general manager, Northern Water
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. — The Nexus of Water and Energy
Water plays a vital role in energy exploration, renowned author and historian Patricia Limerick, author of “Ditch in Time: The City, the West and Water,” will highlight the delicate balance between the need for conserving our precious resource and the demand for fossil fuels.
Keynote speaker:
Patricia Limerick, director, Center of the American West, University of Colorado Boulder