Dam expansion is the wrong approach to water issues
Re: “Boulder County commissioners accept Gross Reservoir settlement,” Nov. 3 news story and “Deal made, but concerns remain over water supply,” Nov. 15 news story
Future generations of Coloradans will look back on the decision to expand this dam as a serious mistake. We are at a pivotal moment in our climate’s history. At the start of 2021, the remaining global carbon budget to stay below 1.5 degrees warming was 296 GTCO2. This is 30% below the 2018 budget (according to the IPCC). At projected emissions levels, we have just seven years of emissions left to stay within this budget and keep temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius (assuming global emissions would reach net zero in a straight line by 2034). Warming above 1.5 degrees C is seen as less compatible to human life (and other species) on Earth. The future is here folks, are we going to do anything about it?
What does Climate Change have to do with the Gross Reservoir expansion? Well, the Gross Reservoir expansion represents the continued march of the extractive and exploitive economy where instead of looking at better ways to conserve a resource we find bigger and more destructive ways to extract more of it. Just like with GHG emissions where the richest 10% of the world’s population produce 90% of the GHG, Americans use four to five times as much water per capita as those in developing nations with nearly half of all of Denver’s water going to watering grass.
The cities and towns of the future need to be growing inward and, slightly, upward with denser populations surrounded by common green space and parks and thus reducing the need for more water, cars, and electricity. Neighborhoods need to be rezoned and their residents given the option to purchase (or rent) affordable homes in new developments in their current communities. For agricultural areas, we need a 50-year farm bill to support farms as they switch from fertilizer and pesticide intensive cash crops like corn and soy beans to more sustainable farming methods that utilize less water intensive and carbon capturing perennial crops (check out landinstute.org for more information). And open spaces need to be expanded and maintained in its wildness — protecting our water from erosion and contamination. It’s all possible, but it demands we start to think differently.
Doug Hamilton, Boulder