There may have never been more of a focus on the natural resources of our state. Gas prices cresting the $5 mark have put that focus front and center on how we are managing the incredible energy resources we have right here at home. We have to change the focus on how to help families survive. We have already called on the Governor to release all permits approved by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission within 90 days. We have to demand that the State do all it can to help access those minerals safely and effectively and start to solve the supply side of this equation.

This year as we discuss the things that should be on the minds of Colorado one of those that rises to the top of the list is water. There have been a lot of years where it hasn’t been on the minds of folks. When they brush their teeth it’s there, when they water their lawn it’s there, when they want to quench their thirst it’s simply there and seldom is there much of a thought about how it got there, how much is needed or what it takes to make sure that it doesn’t run out. Many of us, however, can’t even pass a puddle without thinking about all those things.

This year something big happened. We began construction on Chimney Hollow Reservoir. The Windy Gap Firming Project has been a labor of love for a small army of folks for over twenty years and this past year we finally had a ground breaking on the construction of what will be the second tallest dam in Colorado and the second asphalt core dam in North America. The eventual reservoir will provide much needed “firm” water for many communities in northern Colorado, for Loveland nearly 35 years of water, deliverable 365 days a year. That’s a big deal.