Protecting Local Agriculture Through Strategic Water Investments and Storage
Across our region, drought has threatened local farms and ranches and the stability of our food supply.
Without new action, the fields that feed us today could be gone tomorrow. One cause is warm and dry winters like we are experiencing this year. Another is cities in the Denver metro area aggressively buying senior water rights for their use and drying up valuable, productive farmland in our backyard.
Central Colorado Water Conservancy District’s mission is to secure and store water to keep this precious resource within the South Platte River basin in Adams, Weld and Morgan counties and available to farms and ranches in our region.
By investing in water rights and water storage, Central captures water in times of plenty to help protect our agriculture-based economy in times of drought. Central’s water conservancy efforts support multiple generations, livelihoods and jobs, protect our food supply, and sustain farms and ranches along the South Platte River for generations to come.
Water challenges in Adams, Morgan and Weld counties:
Central’s 10-year outlook includes development of reliable water supplies, including storage and senior water rights.
A portion of the Central’s water supply has been leased from municipal water supplies and as municipalities grow and use their supplies, Central will have less certainty that these leases will be available in the future.
Buy and dry of irrigated lands downstream of the Denver area continues, and the agricultural water needs from groundwater in our region will increase. Central assists with the development of additional water supplies to help protect ag water.
The Colorado Water Plan estimates that 267,000 acres of irrigated farm ground downstream of Denver will be dried up by 2050 to meet future growth demands.
Farms and ranches are at risk in Adams, Morgan and Weld counties if additional water storage is not developed and if additional water rights are not secured.
Farming and Food Production
The South Platte River corridor through Adams, Weld and Morgan counties is one of the largest food-producing areas in our nation. Weld County alone ranks in the Top 10 nationally for food-producing counties, accounting for more than $1.5 billion annually in food production.
A substantial portion of crops grown along the South Platte River goes directly to our tables to feed our families, neighbors and friends. Local farms and ranches provide our region with safe and affordable food, ensuring that we are not dependent on importing food from other states and countries.
Family farms and ranches, often owned and operated across generations of local families, are a cornerstone of our region. Beyond producing locally grown food, they play a vital role in driving the regional and state economies by creating jobs, supporting local businesses and providing food far outside our state’s borders.
These farms and ranches cannot do this without water. Adequate and available water determines the success of their corn, wheat, onion and other key crops that are historically grown in our region. Water impacts the grazing and feed for cattle and other livestock.
That’s where Central plays a pivotal role—access to water and drought resilience.
Drought Resilience
It’s been a bad winter, and its likely to be a dry summer this year. Colorado’s statewide snowpack and the South Platte River basins site below 60 percent of the median. Without a very wet spring, our region may face a devastating drought this summer.
That’s why Central was established more than 60 years ago. Central’s mission and day-to-day decision-making puts the local agricultural economy and farms first and foremost when making decisions about water rights, storage and usage. Without new supplies of water, many farms in our region will not be able to stay in business.
Central’s system of reservoirs and underground storage, pumping and renewable water rights ensure that farmers and ranchers in our area have reliable access to water even during times of drought.
Farms and ranches subscribe to Central’s different services and pay subscription and usage fees—in addition to taxes paid on their own land—to access this vital taxpayer-funded resource. Those fees, along with investments by taxpayers through bonds, provide access to water this summer and future dry periods to mitigate drought conditions.
In very dry years like what’s ahead this summer, Central may not have enough water to meet every demand, but Central will help keep many farms and ranches operating in the dry summer to come in 2026.
Protect Our Water is a project of the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District that educates community members about Central’s efforts to secure and store water, ensuring this vital resource remains within the South Platte Basin in Adams, Weld, and Morgan counties and supporting farms and ranches throughout the region.