Creating a community water plan is no easy task, especially in a valley that stretches from the top of Vail Pass to Dotsero. But after seven years, the Eagle River Coalition has completed the Eagle River Community Water Plan..

The Eagle County Board of Supervisors recently heard a report from Coalition Director James Dilzell, as well as Kallie Rand, Eagle County Natural Resources Manager, and Marcia Gilles, the county’s Open Space and Natural Resources Director, on the plan, which began with an initial grant in 2017.

Dilzell said the main goal is to link the local plan to the Colorado Water PlanThis statewide project combines data from river basin plans across the state to correct declining water quality.

The local plan examines current conditions in the Eagle River basin and looks to the future.

This future is important beyond this valley as well. The Eagle River contributes about 9% of the Colorado River flow at the Colorado-Utah border and up to 3% of the total flow in the Colorado River basin.

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The report is available on the Eagle River Coalition website.utilized a lot of community input and talked to residents about their values ​​and priorities for future river use.

These community values ​​included wildlife and biodiversity, municipal water use, recreational boating, fishing, snowmaking, aesthetics, and agriculture.

Commissioner Kathy Chandler-Henry said she was pleased that agriculture was part of those values, even though the industry represents a relatively small part of the county’s economy.

The plan also looks at what certain stretches of river might look like in the future, for better or for worse. The plan provides an overview of several stretches of river, detailing their current condition and whether it is improving or worsening.

While any look into the future is uncertain, the plan includes some educated guesses about growth, climate change, possible diversions over the mountains, and other changes. All of these educated guesses mean the river will carry less water in the coming years.

One of the challenges, particularly in the lower parts of the catchment, will be the temperatures that communities in the lower valleys are already struggling with.

Dilzell noted that the plan could serve as a guide for what the community wants to protect in the future.

Commissioner Matt Scherr called the plan “truly objective evidence of the importance of water to the community.”

Chandler-Henry asked Gilles if the water plan could be used by county officials in the future if a project falls under the jurisdiction of the 1041 district, which allows local governments to enact environmental and other regulations.

Gilles noted that the plan could be particularly useful if county authorities want to regulate the future development of the reservoir.