GS 592: WATER RESOURCES SEMINAR
Tuesdays, 4:10pm
C-142 Clark Building
Colorado State University, Fort Collins Campus
Fall 2005 theme:
The Role of Negotiation and Dialogue in Securing Future Water Supplies in the West
Colorado is a semi-arid state. The West is a semi-arid region. By definition,
citizens of Colorado and the West face water shortages – there are more uses of water
than water available to meet the uses. The history of the West contains a number of
successful efforts to resolve water allocation problems through dialogue and negotiation.
A recently documented example is described in the Dan Tyler (CSU History Emeritus
Professor) authored biography of Delph Carpenter. Delph led Colorado into an era of
negotiated river compacts as a way for states to allocate water among themselves rather
than leave the task to the Supreme Court.
The 2005 Colorado legislature also recognized the value of dialogue and
negotiation, in resolving current needs to allocate and reallocate limited water resources
in Colorado, by creating Water Roundtables for each of Colorado’s major river basins
(via House Bill 1177). The concept of ‘interbasin’ compacts is articulated in HB 1177 as
a mechanism to re-allocate water to meet future needs.
The 2005 edition of GS 592 will follow up last year’s study of water resources
planning, through examination of Colorado’s Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI),
by exploring the nature of dialogue and negotiation needed to meet the gaps between
demand and supply identified in SWSI. More specifically, the seminar will:
1.
Describe the theories and practice of water resources negotiations and constructive
dialogue;
2.
Examine the history of water resources dialogue and negotiations in the West;
3.
Discuss strengths and weaknesses of water resources negotiation methodologies;
4.
Examine the ways water dialogues are currently being employed in Colorado (e.g.
implementation of HB 05-1177); and,
5.
Explore how dialogues and negotiations can be used in the future to seek a
commonly supported approach to water development and use.
Students interested in taking the one-credit seminar should sign up for GS 592, Water
Resources Seminar, Section ID Number: 332474. The seminar will be held 4:10pm
Tuesday afternoons in Room C-142 Clark Bldg. In addition to attending all seminars,
students taking the seminar for credit are expected to work with a group of students from
other water-related disciplines to lead a synthesis of several speakers’ presentations.
(Students who have enrolled in GS 592 in the past, can also enroll for this offering)
All interested faculty, students and off-campus water professionals are encouraged to
attend and participate.
Date
Topic/Speaker
August 23
Student Introductions, and Description of Seminar Operations - Dan
Smith, Soil and Crop Sciences, Freeman Smith, Earth Resources, David Freeman,
Sociology, and Robert Ward, Director, Colorado Water Resources Research Institute and
CSU Water Center.
August 30
“The Need for Leadership and Dialogue in Meeting the Water Supply
Challenges Facing Colorado” – Dick MacRavey, Executive Director, Colorado Water
Congress
September 6 “Role of Negotiation and Dialogue in Successful Water Management:
State-of-the-Art” – Neil Grigg, Department of Civil Engineering, CSU
September 13 “Preliminary Water Negotiation Lessons Learned in the Three States
Process” – David Freeman, Department of Sociology, CSU
September 20 “Experiences of a Rancher with Water Dialogue and Negotiation” –
Patrick O’Toole, Rancher, former Wyoming Legislator, and President of the Family Farm
Alliance, Savery, Wyoming.
September 27 Student Synthesis of the current status of dialogue and negotiation in
resolving Colorado water conflicts
October 4
“Colorado Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI) Follow Up” – Rick
Brown, Scientist, Water Supply Protection, Colorado Water Conservation Board
(Statewide Water Supply Initiative description can be at the following URL:
http://www.cwcb.state.co.us/SWSI/Table_of_Contents.htm)
October 11
“History of Water Negotiations in the West” – Jared Orsi, Asst. Prof.,
Department of History, CSU
October 18
“Balancing Gains and Losses in Water Negotiations” – MaryLou Smith,
Vice President, Aqua Engineering, Fort Collins
October 25
Student Synthesis of the promises and problems associated with dialogue
and negotiation as a water management tool
November 1
“Role of Negotiation and Dialogue in Development of the Northern
Integrated Supply Project” – Nicole Seltzer, Water Resources Planning & Environmental
Liaison, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Berthoud (Background
information on NISP can be found at:
http://www.ncwcd.org/project&features/nisp_main.asp)
November 8
“How does the Agricultural Water User Community approach the 1177
Process?” – Reagan Waskom, State Water Resources Extension Specialist, CSU
November 15 “Transitioning Communities as Water Leaves Rural Colorado” – Lou
Swanson, Head, Department of Sociology, CSU
November 22
Thanksgiving Holiday
November 29
Student Synthesis of the future of irrigated agriculture in Colorado
December 6
Student Evaluations and Planning for Fall 2006 Water Resources Seminar