How can we bring the Colorado River back into balance?

Join the Colorado River District for our Annual Water Seminar on September 16, 2022, at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.

At this year’s seminar, you’ll hear from water managers in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Utah. Tribal water leaders from across the basin will discuss water issues facing tribal nations and will hold a sovereign-to-sovereign discussion about how to bring the Colorado River back into balance with Colorado Commissioner Becky Mitchell and the River District’s Andy Mueller. Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg will speak on the future of West Slope ag and discuss solutions with local producers. Register today.

2022 seminar keynotes and panels will center around the issues of water shortage, the 2007 Interim Guidelines re-negotiations, as well as a focus on the current innovation and partnerships happening within local West Slope communities as they craft their own solutions.

https://www.coloradoriverdistrict.org/annual-water-seminar/

Agenda: Overdrawn, The 2022 Annual River District Seminar

• Morning Session (8:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.)
  • 8:30 a.m. Breakfast/Registration
  • 9:00 a.m. Welcome – Colorado River District Staff
  • 9:05 a.m. Greeting – Martha Whitmore, Colorado River District Board President
  • 9:10 a.m. Water Year Reflections: A Look at Hydrology in the Colorado River Headwaters – Brendon Langenhuizen, Director of Technical Advocacy, Colorado River District
  • 9:30 a.m. Morning Keynote: State of the Colorado River District – Andy Mueller, General Manager, Colorado River District
  • 10:00 a.m. Break
  • 10:10 a.m. Morning Panel: The 2026 Interim Guidelines, An Interstate Water User Discussion
    • Peter Fleming, Colorado River District General Counsel (moderator)
    • J.B. Hamby, Imperial Irrigation District Board Director of Division 2 (CA)
    • Steve Wolff, Southwestern Water Conservation District General Manager (CO)
    • Bart Leeflang, Central Utah Water Conservancy District Colorado River Program Manager (UT)
    • Patrick Dent, Central Arizona Project Assistant General Manager of Water Policy (AZ)

• Midday Session (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
  • 12:00 p.m. Lunchtime Keynote: The Future of West Slope Agriculture – Kate Greenberg, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture
  • 12:30 p.m. Water & West Slope Producers, A Rapid-Fire Discussion
    • Kate Greenberg, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture
    • Lowell King, Grand Valley Regenerative Farmer
    • Janie VanWinkle, Grand Valley Rancher and former Colorado Cattlemen’s Association President
  • 1:00 p.m. Tribal Water Rights & The Colorado River: A Sovereign-to-Sovereign Conversation
    • Andy Mueller, Colorado River District General Manager (moderator)
    • Daryl Vigil, Jicarilla Apache Nation Water Administrator
    • Rebecca Mitchell, Colorado Commissioner to the Upper Colorado River Commission and Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board
    • Estevan Lopez, New Mexico Commissioner to the Upper Colorado River Commission and former Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner
    • Lorelei Cloud, Southern Ute Tribal Council Member
  • 2:00 p.m. Break

• Afternoon Session (2:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.)
  • 2:15 p.m. Afternoon Keynote: Writing Water, A Journalist’s Perspective – Alex Hager, KUNC Colorado River Basin Reporter
  • 3:00 p.m. Breaking Down Federal Water Policy
    • Zane Kessler, Colorado River District Director of Government Relations
    • Gloria Montaño Greene, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation
  • 3:45 p.m. The Importance of 1041 to West Slope Water
    • Peter Fleming, Colorado River District General Counsel (moderator)
    • Barbara Green, Attorney at Sullivan Green Seavy
    • Nick DiMascio, Denver Water Attorney

• Happy Hour & Networking (4:15 – 5:15 p.m.)
  • 4:15 p.m. Celebrating Water & West Slope Craft Beverages (Beer generously provided by Palisade Brewing Co.)

Virtual attendance available. Livestreaming access only, no audience participation available with this option.

Register Here