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Official Colorado River Day

by KREX News Room
by Courtney Griffin

Story Created: Jul 25, 2012 at 5:34 PM MDT

Story Updated: Jul 26, 2012 at 9:12 AM MDT

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.- Wednesday marks the 91st anniversary of the Colorado River getting its name.

Officials are now trying to find ways to conserve and protect the river water from depreciating.

As demand on the Colorado River now exceeds supply, officials say the fastest and most cost effective way to address this imbalance is by being more efficient.

Many fiscal conservatives and conservationists met Wednesday to figure out how to be more efficient and how to act on ideas as quickly as possible. "We support solutions that again that look at conservation and efficiency ... things like better urban conservation, better agricultural efficiency and water banking, and some of those creative ideas that people are coming up with to try and solve those imbalances," said Molly Mugglestone, project coordinator for Protect the Flows.

One group that currently supports the river is the Riverfront Trail Commission. The group believes its new trail system that's in place has helped clear the area of debris. "With the Colorado River I think that any time you have land in areas that are neglected and areas that are undervalued, they tend to turn into dumps and trash heaps. By us bringing the trail and the concentration of people on the trail, I think we are going to learn to appreciate it, maintain it and protect it ," said Katie Steele, co-chair of the Riverfront Trail Commission.

Officials say the river provides water for 36 million people, irrigates 15 percent of our nation's crops and facilitates recreation that supports a quarter million jobs.


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