This document outlines the major features of Colorado's water policy landscape including its water law, state water agencies, recent legislative initiatives to address Colorado's growing water demands, and state funding sources for water supply projects.

The recent drought and Colorado's rapid population growth have heightened interest in Colorado's water supply. The purpose of this pamphlet is to outline the major features of Colorado's water policy landscape including its water law, state water agencies, state financing mechanisms for water supply projects, and recent legislative activities to address Colorado's water supply challenges.

Approximately 80 percent of the rain and snow that falls in the state falls west of the Continental Divide; however, most of the state's population and irrigated agriculture is on the eastern side. Consequently, water users have been diverting water from west of the continental divide to the eastern plains. There are 39 transbasin diversions in Colorado including 25 diversions that move water from the Colorado River Basin to eastern plains of Colorado....

"Science Be Dammed is an alarming reminder of the high stakes in the management--and perils in the mismanagement--of water in the western United States. It offers important lessons in the age of climate change and underscores the necessity of seeking out the best science to support the decisions we make"--